Spirit Chains
by Lunar Resonance
Summary: Thirteen years ago, Avatar Asura attempted to take control of both the physical and spirit worlds. After being sealed away in the most wretched corner of the spirit world, the world has tried to forget him. But pieces are slowly being moved into place for Asura's return, who will stop at nothing from finishing what he started.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey everyone, this is my story for Resbang-when my partners post their art, I will link them on my profile so you can see them, if you'd like. Chapters for this fic may have more than one character's POV but I always make it clear. Also dates in this fic are based on when the Avatar first came into being so 10,000 A.A. would mean 10,000 years after the Avatar appeared. Other than that, happy reading!

Lunar

* * *

10, 200 A.A.-Winter Solstice

* * *

_Branches snap under Maka's feet as she treads through the forest, the chatter of animals above her. She pays it no mind-her eyes are fixed on the bright plains opening up in front of her. __As she leaves the shadows of the forest, a strong wind whips through the plains, slicing a path of rippling grasses in its wake. She raises her hand and shades her face from the strong sunlight, enjoying the view._

_A flash of purple flies past her, grabbing her attention. Leaping forward on an impulse, she follows it._

_The grasses nearly reach her head as she cuts her way through the plains. She keeps her eyes trained on the purple blur, which is quickly outpacing her. "Wait!" she calls. __Her words have the opposite effect on the blur and it hooks a hard left, speeding up until she can't see it at all. Still, Maka continues to run, using her arms to sweep the grasses out of the way. She is thrown for a loop when the plains drop off suddenly._

_The harsh blue of the sky greets her and she feels herself lurch forward as her feet peddle uselessly in mid-air. She barely has time to belatedly register the cliff before gravity begins to yank her to the ground. __A scream rips from her lips as she falls._

_A hand grasps Maka's, pulling her onto something warm and leathery. A strange sensation of unreality sweeps through her as she travels through the sky, the plains below her shrinking_ _rapidly as she climbs higher and higher._

_A boy with hair as white as untouched snow and eyes red as the spiny scales of dragon she rides calls to Maka. He gives her a sharp-toothed grin, taking her hand. "I found you!"_

_Her breath catches at their touch, his name springing to the tip of her tongue._

"_Soul."_

* * *

The screech of the penguin-rooster that nests on Maka's window causes her eyes to fly open and her heart to nearly climb out of her chest. She pulls herself to a sitting position, breathing heavily. Giving the bird the strongest glare she can muster, she growls, "Get out of here before I cook you."

The bird replies by squawking impertinently again before dropping off the window sill.

Scowl fading, she rubs her eyes and thinks back to her dream. She has a nagging feeling that it was important but all she remembers is falling.

And a dragon.

_Someone else was with me, s_he thinks, frowning. _Who was it? _She presses her palms to her eyes, straining her memory. All she comes up with is a hazy outline of a figure and a smile filled with razor-sharp teeth.

The curtain separating her room from the living quarters screeches as it slides back on its rod. "I thought I heard you up," her mother says as she walks swiftly into Maka's room. Vakirah presents a neatly wrapped gift and places it in Maka's hands. "Happy birthday. And winter solstice."

"Thanks." With a quick tug on the string holding the wrapping together, the package comes apart, revealing new light blue robes. She holds them up one by one. The skirt is a bit too long to wear when she goes out to practice her bending but she admires the feel of the fabric, like water woven into silk. "These are for the ceremony later tonight?" she asks.

Vakirah nods, brushing back a lock of her fair hair behind her ear. "Speaking of which, there was some-"

A horn sounds in the distance, startling them both.

"Your father can't be starting the Solstice Hunt already," Vakirah exclaims, striding towards the door. "Hurry and get dressed."

Maka scrambles off the bed, heart now hammering for an entirely different reason. "Can I go with Papa?" she spits out the question before she can lose her nerve. "I _am_ thirteen now."

Her mother turns back, giving her a confused stare. "Maka, you know that rite of passage is only for the boys."

Maka crosses her arms stubbornly. "But you let me practice my bending."

Vakirah sighs. "There are certain rules that can't be broken, Maka. This is one of them."

"But why?"

Her mother's eyes cloud over briefly. "Your father is the chief now, Maka. There's different expectations."

The horn rings out again.

"There isn't time to discuss this further," Vakirah says distractedly. "It's just not going to happen, Maka."

Squeezing Maka to her briefly, she lets go of her, pedaling backwards to the door. "Come join me outside when you're done. Then we'll have breakfast and talk about today." As she exits the room, she mutters more to herself than to Maka, "I can't believe your father would leave without his own family seeing him off…"

Maka catches her own gaze in the mirror hanging across the room, reflecting the emptiness of the room.

"Okay," she says to no one.

It's as she is pulling her parka over her head that an important realization hits Maka like an avalanche. Heart leaping into her throat, she shoves her feet into her boots and rushes from the room, hurriedly pulling her hair into two simple pigtails. Her heart thumps rapidly as she hurries out into the living room and cautiously pokes her head out of the igloo, peering to the left and right.

Her mother and most of the women stand around the bonfire that lies in the center of their growing village. Some tend to the fire and keep an eye on the children while others wave at the men trekking off into the wilderness, armed with spears and clubs. At the sight of the men fading into the tundra, an anxious panic prickles up Maka's back.

She edges out of the igloo and breaks out into a run once she rounds the corner of the road that winds through her village, heading for the village's back entrance.

The open gates towering above her seem to look down at Maka disapprovingly as she passes through them. Setting her jaw stubbornly, she focuses on keeping her balance as the trail out of the village turns from packed snow to slippery ice. She dances on the ice, faint scratching noises of her boots breaking the silence solidified by the frigid air. Her hair swings back and forth in time with her steps.

She lets out a gasp when the skirts underneath her parka catch on her new shoes, only barely avoiding faceplanting onto the ice. Wishing for her old trousers or a shorter skirt, Maka pauses and hauls up the offending skirts with an irritated huff.

Minutes later, she grinds to a halt at the ice's edge. Maka crouches low, breaths coming out in foggy puffs. Brushing her hair back, she pulls out a handmade ice whistle and blows on it, a low and rough sound coming from the whistle.

She stows it away and chews on her lip with tense impatience. "Come on," she mutters. "Where are you?"

A minute that stretches out like an eternity passes by before she sees something other than her wide-eyed reflection staring back at her. Maka grins in relief at the pair of golden eyes that greet her. "There you are!"

Blair pokes her head out of the water, giving Maka a sharp but affectionate prod to the face with her nose.

Maka loses her balance and falls back on the ice. "Blair!" She hurls a mock glare at the saber toothed polar lion emerging from the ocean on paws she has yet to grow into, flicking off the ice on the bottom of her parka. "You're not as small as you used to be anymore. You can't do that."

Giving a low dismissive rumble, Blair proceeds to shake out her wet fur, spraying Maka in the process.

"No, Blair!" Maka yelps and scrambles to her feet. She puts her hands on her hips, scowling.

The lion rolls on her back and yawns, obviously unrepentant. Looking up, she gives her tail an expectant swing.

Maka crosses her arms, pointedly looking away from Blair. "No."

Blair lets out a whine. Maka fights back an amused smile, trying and failing to stay angry. Blair's whining grows more high-pitched the longer she refuses to give in. Her stubbornness caves when Blair reaches a level that makes her eardrums itch. She drops to her knees, meeting Blair's eyes. "Whoever said the saber toothed polar lion is the most ferocious animal of the South Pole clearly never met you," she sighs, rubbing Blair's soft underbelly.

Blair makes a contented sound and purrs hard enough for Maka to feel the reverberations in her bones. They sit like that, Maka admiring the purplish stripes that zig zag through Blair's white fur. They're a recent addition-she had thought at first that Blair had been on the receiving end of an octopus-eel attack.

The waves lap at her feet as the sun steadily rises higher into the sky.

As Maka strokes Blair, a memory jogs into place. "I had the strangest dream," Maka tells the polar lion. "There was a dragon. And a boy." She looks out at the ocean. "He was riding a dragon."

Maka repeats herself excitedly. "There was a boy and he had a dragon!"

She jumps to her feet and startles Blair, who gives Maka a surly look at her abrupt halt of her ministrations. She paces back and forth, treading a path in the snow. "But what was his name?"

Abruptly she stops, shoulders sagging. She drops to her knees, rubbing Blair's head. "But there are no more dragons," she tells Blair, who at least gives the appearance of listening intently. "They died out a long time ago." Maka sighs. "So there's no way that either of them can be real." Disappointment twists painfully in her chest, far more than is appropriate for a fictional boy and his dragon.

The hunting horn from before echoes in the distance, pulling Maka from her thoughts and reminding her why she came out here in the first place. She clambers to her feet and bounces on her toes as if she could see the hunting party from this far away. "Oh, good! They're coming back!"

Blair gets to her feet too but Maka raises a hand. "You know you have to stay here."

At Maka's stern tone, Blair ducks her head in a way that fills her with guilt. Dropping to her knees, Maka pets her head. "It's to keep you safe and you know that. It's the winter solstice _and_ my birthday today, both which mean a celebration hunt. Men only, of course." She rolls her eyes. "Because having a waterbender who also happens to be a girl makes no sense."

Blair wrinkles her nose and blows cold air in Maka's face.

"My thoughts exactly." Maka tries to take the sting out of her disappointment. "I suppose it's for the best though," she says as she twists her hand in Blair's fur. "If I was out with them, then you might have ended up the prey."

The polar lion bares her teeth, fangs flashing in the bright sunlight of the South Pole.

"That definitely wouldn't have helped your case," Maka tells her. "And knowing you, that is exactly how you'd choose to act." She stands and gives Blair a final pat. "So I had to make sure you were okay."

With a defeated sigh, Blair settles herself back on the ice.

"Here." Maka sighs, pulling off her glove. The cold air nips at her hand as she scans the water for movement. Spotting her target, she raises her hand clenches her hand to freeze the water to an icy slush around the fish, slowing down its movements. Brow furrowed in heavy concentration, she traces a circle in the air and entraps the fish in a water bubble. With bated breath, Maka guides the bubble to Blair, careful to balance her movements with the wriggling fish.

But she miscalculates at the last moment and pulls the bubble too far to the right just as the fish swerves to the left. The bubble pops and the fish bursts free. "No!"

Blair jumps up on her hind legs and snatches the fish in mid-air, swallowing it whole.

Maka looks back to the water. Sometimes it felt like she had finally harnessed some kind of control over her bending while other times, she felt it slip through her fingers like water. She puffs up her cheeks and exhales. "Looks like I still have to work on that one."

Blair pads over and headbutts her hip, giving a reassuring mewl.

Scratching her head, Maka smiles. "Thanks."

The horn sounds again, closer than before. Maka scrambles backward, ice squeaking under her boots. "Stay hidden and don't do anything reckless, okay?" she tells a visibly wilting Blair. She turns and begins to run, calling over her shoulder, "I'll come back as soon as I can!"

* * *

Luck is on Maka's side when she returns to the village and enters without running into anyone.

Women and men are still grouped at the bonfire, finishing up the cleaning of the hunt's kill, a buffalo yak. Later tonight, they'll have a feast and use the bones as their annual offering to the moon and ocean spirits. If she cranes her head, she can see the red wolftail of her father peeking out of the hood of his parka as he stands at the far edge of the bonfire, resting his hand on a shoulder of a woman she assumes is her mother.

She bursts into a run. "Papa!"

At the sound of her voice, he turns as does the woman at his side. Who is clearly not her mother, she realizes with a sudden lurch of her stomach.

"There's the birthday girl!" Spirit sweeps her up in warm hug, like he used to when she barely reached his knees.

Instead of laughing, she wriggles out of his grasp and takes a few steps back. "I'm not a child anymore."

"I wouldn't have thought that since you're still wearing these," Spirit replies genially with a chuckle, tugging on one of her ponytails.

Maka gives him a faint glower as she leans away. "Mama's going to fix them up later," she mutters. She scans the people milling about. "Where is she, anyways?"

Spirit places his hands on his hips and flicks his eyes across the crowd as well but Maka can tell by the way he's coiled himself up that he knows her mother isn't here. She sends a brief glance to the woman, who is still standing at Spirit's side. In her boots, her toes squirm and she itches to be off and running.

Finally, Spirit gives up his charade, blue eyes clouding over almost imperceptibly as he gives his daughter another grin. "I guess she just had some things to do." He gestures over to the woman. "This is Karika. She's the daughter of the chief from the east."

"Your father was just telling me about you, Maka, as well as everything else that's been going on in the village," Karika says warmly as she steps forward, extending her hand. She glances around her. "Having been chief for less than a year, he's done some really marvelous things for the west."

"My mother did a lot of the work, actually." Maka doesn't take her hand but instead bobs down once in a shallow curtsy. She glances at Spirit and kicks the snow at her feet. "I'm going to look for her at the house."

"It's almost time for lunch anyways." Spirit nods. "Tell your mother we got back safely."

Maka tilts her head to the side. "Aren't you coming?"

"The other chiefs are coming early," Spirit answers. "Karika here was about to show me where we're going to meet." He gives Maka's shoulder a light pat before pulling her into a one-armed hug. "It's going to be a lot of talking so tell your mother not to worry about joining me and that I'll be home to pick you two up for the ceremony."

"Sure," Maka mumbles into his parka. Something tightens at the back of her throat and she feels the words asking him to stay dance on the tip of her tongue.

Her father steps away. "See you in a few hours."

Maka chews on her lip as she walks down the road from the bonfire to her home, trepidation slowing her steps. After the chief, Spirit's brother, and her aunt had died in an accident on their return trip from the North Pole and her father had taken his place almost a year ago, one of the things she had become aware of was her father's tendency to be sociable with the people from the surrounding villages.

All of it was done to build good relations and promote harmony, he claimed. In a voice mirroring the deadly calm before a blizzard, her mother would then quietly wonder aloud why it was only women he sought to build good relations with. For her part, Maka had tried her best to ignore the fights that broke out afterwards, preferring to escape outside during those times and immerse herself in bending practice. In the end, it had always turned out okay.

_But now, _she purses her lips pensively, mind flickering back to her father's hand lying on Karika's shoulder.

Giving her head a firm shake, she quickly arranges the facts in front of her. She didn't know why her mother wasn't over at the bonfire; it didn't mean she and Spirit were fighting. Plus, her papa loved her and her mother and it wasn't something he'd dare to ruin. She firmly pushes the subject out of her mind, snow crunching underneath her boots as she grinds to a halt in front of her igloo.

Licking her lips nervously, Maka pauses besides the entrance. If the cause behind her mother's absence isn't due to her father's overfriendliness, then her hours-long disappearance is definitely the reason why and it wouldn't be a stretch to assume her mother is not going to be pleased to see her. She eyes the igloo warily now and figures the best plan is to bolt for her room and go from there.

Pulling her gloves (which smell distinctly of Blair) from her hands, Maka tucks them away in her parka's pockets.

Still, she doesn't move till her stomach prompts her forward with an angry grumble. She peeks in the open doorway, searching for any sign of Vakirah.

The kitchen and living quarters are empty nor can she hear any movement from any of the other rooms.

For a moment, it crosses Maka's mind that her mother may have gone searching for her-something that sets her stomach churning because despite all her years away from the Earth Kingdom, Vakirah had never grown accustomed to the slippery unpredictableness of the icelands.

As if on cue, Vakirah bursts from a side room from the right side of the igloo. Maka lets out the breath she didn't know she was holding.

The robes she wears are different from the ones she had one this morning, old with rips and tears at the hems and sleeves.

Her mother's blonde hair is coming out of her braids and sticks to the sides of her face as she hauls a blackened pot full of something that sloshes back and forth to the stove. She watches as Vakirah nearly runs into the table set in the middle of the kitchen in the process and mumbles darkly underneath her breath in her native language.

She winces, feeling a pang of remorse mix with her nervousness.

Continuing to mutter insults at the table, Vakirah sets the pot onto the stove with a clang and disappears back into the room.

At this, Maka seizes her chance and slips inside. She treads across the living room, sneaking glances from behind her. However she barely makes it halfway across when Vakirah's voice calls to her.

"I can see you, young lady."

Maka freezes in place and spits out the first thing that comes to mind. "But aren't you supposed to be with Papa?"

Vakirah emerges from the room with a broom in hand. "There was something I was asked to do," she says, sounding slightly out of breath. "And I couldn't say no."

"That's what you always say."

Her mother opens her mouth and then closes it. She gives Maka a piercing look. "Nice attempt at distracting me. Do you realize you've been gone for nearly three hours?"

"Was it that long?" Maka tries to sound innocent as she traipses back into the kitchen and takes a seat at the table. She crosses her ankles together and gives her mother a bright grin. "I had no idea."

"That smile might work on everyone else but not your mother." Vakirah's eyes narrow before she disappears back into the room. Her voice comes out slightly muffled. "So, why didn't you come? Because you were mad?"

"No…well, yes." She adds quickly, "But that's not why I didn't go."

"Then why?"

Hastily, she weaves a lie together. "I was out by the training grounds. I figured that if I couldn't participate in the hunt, then maybe I could put together a waterbending demonstration for tonight's celebration."

The curtain rustles as Vakirah appears with her hands on her hips, looking skeptical. "And that took all morning?"

"I wanted it to look good," Maka says defensively.

Her mother answers her with a hard look and an unintelligible grumble, going to the stove.

Clearing her throat, Maka decides to change the subject before Vakirah decides to lob any more questions at her. "I saw Papa when I was coming back here."

"Did he say when he was coming home?" Vakirah asks without turning, stirring whatever is in the blackened pot a few times. "I made something special for lunch."

"He said that he had some business to attend to," Maka says.

Almost imperceptibly, her mother stiffens. Vakirah turns. "And did he say when he'd be back?"

"Right before the ceremony begins." She braces herself for Vakirah's mouth to press into a tight, thin line but instead her expression goes lax and the emerald fires in her eyes die down.

She meets Maka's eyes again and shrugs. "I suppose that's just more food for us." She replaces the lid on the pot and goes to the drawers beside the stove, taking out a couple spoons and bowls. "About that demonstration you had mentioned, what did you have in mind?"

Maka's mind goes blank for a moment before she remembers. "Uh, just a few of the more complicated moves Nygus described to me in her last letter."

Vakirah grabs a ladle, dipping it into a smaller pot beside the blackened one. "What if I told you I have a better idea of what you can do for the ceremony?"

Maka sniffs the air and rubs her stomach, which is openly protesting now. "So long as that soup is what I think it is, I'll agree to anything."

"It is." Chuckling lightly, Vakirah slides a bowl in front of her and takes a seat across from her. "You remind me of your father. When he's hungry, he'll do anything for food."

"He's definitely missing out with this meal," Maka says as she gets a better whiff of the soup, rich and mouthwatering.

Her mother smiles again but it's a splinter of a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "I'm glad you think so."

Maka picks up her spoon. "Now, what am I going to do for tonight?" She takes the first spoonful of soup.

Vakirah rests her chin on her hand and picks up her spoon with the other. "What would you think of being the one to help your father with the ceremony later tonight?"

Maka's eyes widen and she swallows the soup hastily, the hot liquid stinging her throat. "But I'm still a child," she protests. She sets down the spoon, waiting for the soup to cool. "Plus, Aunt Kanna was always the one to help when Uncle Kuruk was in charge of the leading the ceremony so you should be the one with Papa."

Vakirah shakes her head. "Thirteen marks the end of childhood," she says, shifting in her seat. Her eyes cloud over for a moment and her body goes unusually still, like it always does when something is weighing on her mind. "As for upholding tradition, I think your father and the rest wouldn't mind too much if we broke this one."

An uncomfortable feeling pinches Maka's chest, turning the aftertaste of the soup bitter. "I mind."

Vakirah stares at her with the same hazy look in her eyes before blinking rapidly, shaking her head. "And why would you?" She winks at Maka. "To be quite honest, it'll be a relief not to have all those eyes on me."

"And on me instead," Maka says. "Thanks."

"That's what mothers are for," Vakirah replies serenely, picking up her spoon. "Now, let's eat."

"All right," Maka assents. She returns to the soup, the metal of the spoon clinking against the bowl. Her appetite takes over and she savors the soup's spicy flavor, the result of a hybrid carrot-pepper from her mother's hometown. One of the traders from last season (who hailed from the same part of the Earth Kingdom as Vakirah) had brought a crateful of the vegetables as a gift to the new chief's wife.

In next to no time, the spoon falls into the empty bowl with a clatter. Maka sighs contentedly.

"I've never seen you this hungry after practice," Vakirah says, a wry gleam in her eyes. "It seems to me that someone was doing a lot more than practicing a new move."

"Bending takes a lot of energy," Maka answers. She stands up, carrying the bowl to the sink.

Her mother joins her by the sink and gives her a sideways glance. "Does it also leave fur on your clothes?"

Maka's fingers fumble and the bowl slips from her hands. "That's, um, from, uh-"

"A little adventure out in the icelands?" Vakirah asks shrewdly.

Maka opens her mouth and closes it, knowing she's been caught. She picks up the bowl again and mumbles, "Possibly." She feels her face tinge as she begins to scrub. "When did you figure it out?"

"Before you even came in." There's a hiss as her mother picks up the lid from the pot simmering away furiously on the stove. A vapor puffs up and envelops the kitchen. "Mothers have a sixth sense, you know," she says with cough. "But it does help when you have footprints to follow."

"I knew I was forgetting something," Maka says. She wrinkles her nose, partly from chagrin but mainly from the horrid smell now flowing freely from the pot. "Wait." She pauses in rinsing the bowl. "If you knew I was lying then why'd you play along?"

"Mostly because it was fun," Vakirah answers.

"Well, I'm not so amused," Maka grouches. "Next time, keep on pretending to believe me."

Vakirah snorts delicately. "And I suppose whatever you were doing was important enough to miss helping with cleaning of the buffalo yak your father and the rest of the men slew for tonight?"

Twisting her face into scowl, Maka replies, "If I had been allowed to join the hunt, I may have stayed." She finishes rinsing and gives a quick flick of her wrist, the excess water pulling away from the bowl.

"I already explained to you why you weren't allowed." Her mother closes the lid on the pot, taking the edge off the odor that is now rapidly permeating across the cramped space of the igloo.

Nimbly, Maka hauls herself onto the counter beside the sink, raising her eyebrows at her mother. "Then the rules should change." She opens the water pouch always around her waist, drawing out some of the water. "Don't you agree?" she asks as she closes and opens her hand, turning the water to ice and back again.

Vakirah edges to the right a few step and leans against the counter, next to Maka. She crosses her arms and faces her. "So you're saying you weren't interested in helping me mix the fat for the spirit shrine candles?"

"_That_ is what is brewing in there?" Maka blows out through her nose and watches the floating sphere of ice in front of her evaporate into mist. Small waves of satisfaction roll through her body. "Definitely not." She drops her hands into her lap and looks bemusedly at her mother. "And I didn't think that you'd be too interested in making them, either."

"What?" Her mother puckers her lips quizzically. She takes Maka by surprise, pushing her hands in her face. "You mean you don't want your hands smelling like monkey seal?"

"Mom, no!" Maka pulls free and hops off the counter.

Vakirah's laugh clangs like a bell, hearty and genuine. "All right, enough games." She claps her hands together and steps forward. "Time to change out of these rags."

Maka sits on her bed and waits for her mother, fingernails tapping against the window as she twirls her hand idly.

Frost fans out from where her fingers touch the glass and carves out a design across the bottom half of the window pane. She wraps a lock of hair around her finger as her mind drifts, a feeling of vague apprehension settling in her stomach. It sets her teeth on edge.

Tugging gently on her hair, her mind drifts back to when she woke up, to the dream that hadn't felt like a dream at all. That is where this feeling had started and it had stowed itself away in the back of her consciousness. Easy enough to ignore when she had been preoccupied with other things but now that she had a chance to rest, the odd tension prods incessantly at her.

Half of it, she muses, had to do with the seeping iciness between her parents and the obvious toll it had on Vakirah. Because as much as her mother tried to hide it, the strain of trying to do everything was getting to her. In the early days of Spirit becoming chief, Vakirah had thrown all of her energy in taking up each of her aunt's duties and more, facing every challenge with bright eyes. But gradually her smiles had turned to frowns, worry lines permanently creased on her forehead. Now the only time her eyes lit up was when she was running around frantically because she had taken on too much.

Humming agitatedly, Maka lets her hand fall away from the glass. If there was something she could do to make things like the way they were before her uncle died, when her mother woke up wearing a smile and her father didn't disappear for hours to fix the village's problems, she would do it.

She sighs. But she didn't have the power to bring back the dead.

"A dragon?" Her mother's breath tickles the back of Maka's neck.

Maka starts, whipping her head around. "A what?" She follows Vakirah's gaze to the window and feels a slight jolt to her stomach.

"It looks alive." Vakirah reaches out and traces over the outspread wing of the dragon rearing its head, the spray of the flame emanating from its mouth dyed golden orange by the sun. "I didn't know you had gotten so good at this."

"Neither did I," Maka replies softly, eyes trained on the familiar outline of the dragon's rider.

"Makes me wish we had gotten that camera from the traders in the spring." There's a slight creak as her mother gets up. "I would have liked to keep a picture of that."

"It's just moving around some ice," Maka says, pulling her eyes away from the window. "Next spring, we can get a camera and I'll make a better one for you." She does a slight double take as she gets a good look at Vakirah and the elegant dark blue robes she wears. "I thought those were only meant to be worn if you were going to the shrine."

Vakirah flicks off some imaginary dust from her robes. "One of the elders invited me for their annual shrine cleansing at the same time I was asked to make the candles," she answers. She gives Maka a sly look. "I thought, with someone's help, I'd be able to finish quickly. Luckily, I asked the Nygus family if they would finish them and they agreed. "And that means that you'll be the one carrying over the fat over to them."

"Fair enough," she says, rising from the bed. "Are you leaving now?"

"In a minute." Vakirah pulls a small package from her sash. "But first, we need to fix up your hair." She wraps an arm around Maka's shoulder.

"What's in there?" Maka allows herself to be guided by Vakirah to her mirror.

"You'll see," she says, pulling out Maka's hair ties and handing the package to Maka. "Now close your eyes."

Maka complies with a slight grumble. Vakirah's fingers weave quickly through her hair, working from one side of her head to the other. After a few minutes, the pressure of her fingers eases. "Hang on." There's a rustle as she takes and opens the package. Maka feels something slide in her hair. "All done."

Maka opens her eyes and examines herself in the mirror. Two smaller braids, one on each side, gather into one large ponytail. But what catches her eye is the flash of green. Two golden feathers overlap each other in a small spiral, tiny emeralds sprinkled all over.

"Your grandmother gave it to me when I got married to your father," Vakirah says, reaching out to smooth down a stray hair. "But I thought I should give it to you now."

For a moment, all of her worries disappear. Maka throws her arms around Vakirah. "Thank you."

Her mother brushes her cheek against Maka's. "Nothing to thank me for."

"Knock knock!" A familiar voice resounds through the igloo.

Maka's eyes widen in shock as she pulls away. "That's not…"

Vakirah smiles. "One last surprise."

Incredulous, Maka makes her way to the living room. Looking highly discomfited in her parka stands Nygus, who barely has time to register Maka's presence before she barrels into her.

She lets out a small grunt. "I think you just bruised my kidneys."

"Sorry," Maka chimes. Releasing Nygus, Maka bounces on the balls of her feet. "But I thought in your last letter, you said you wouldn't be able to come."

"With Sid quitting his position at the guard, I didn't think we'd have enough money but business picked up at the shop," Nygus says. "I sent your mother a messenger hawk once I found out I'd be able to come." Looking past Maka, she greets Vakirah. "Hello again, neighbor."

"It's good to see you again, Nygus," Vakirah says warmly. "I hope your trip wasn't too rough."

Nygus shrugs. "A couple of storms but nothing I couldn't handle."

"And everyone else?" Maka peers around Nygus. "Where are they?"

"Sid had to stay home to tend to the shop and Shadow goes wild if Black*Star isn't around." Nygus shakes her head. "How that boy managed to tame a badgermole is still a mystery to me."

Maka pictures the underground tunnels Black*Star carved underneath the training grounds last time he visited, a true earthbender even in a land of ice and snow. "It makes perfect sense to me."

"Sorry to cut in," Vakirah's strained voice huffs. "But the elders are waiting for me."

Turning, Maka sees her mother coming from the kitchen, pot full of fat in her arms. She hurries forward and takes the pot. She lightens its heaviness by using her bending to pull up on the liquid, propping it against her hip.

"The elders?" Nygus repeats, looking bewildered. "I saw them passing through the gates on my way over here."

Vakirah blinks and a look of shocked hurt passes over her face. Then she smiles. "I must have misunderstood them. I'd better see if I can catch up with them." She gives Maka's shoulder a pat. "See you soon." With a final nod to Nygus, she exits the igloo.

"Things have certainly changed around here, haven't they?" Nygus comments, a hand going to her hip.

"They sure have," Maka agrees heavily.

* * *

Nygus keeps up a steady stream of conversation that Maka only half-listens to as they head to the outskirts of the village, where Nygus' family lives.

"…so after that I decided to join the circus and become an armadillo lion tamer."

"That's nice," Maka murmurs.

Nygus gives her a sharp poke. "Have you been listening to a word I've been saying?"

Maka opens her mouth. "I-" Her foot sinks into a hidden pothole in the road and she stumbles forward.

However, Nygus has one hand on Maka's shoulder and the other on the lid of the pot before Maka can do more than gasp. She steadies Maka before letting go. "That was close."

Tears of frustration prick at the corners of Maka's eyes. Tamping down on them, she nods and begins to walk again.

"Wait a minute." Nygus grabs her by the shoulder again. She waves her hand up, conjuring up a bench out of the snow. Taking the pot from Maka's hands, she takes a seat. "Come on."

Reluctantly, she takes a seat.

To her surprise, Nygus doesn't immediately start interrogating her, seemingly content with staring up at the sky. "Looks like a bit of a storm might be coming in the next few days," she says, gesturing to the iron gray clouds.

"Probably is."

They sit quietly for a few more minutes. The tension that had been resting in Maka crawls up and down her bones until the words swirling in her mouth spill out. "I don't know when I started expecting to see her wake up with sad eyes rather than happy ones."

Nygus doesn't do anything but she tilts her head as an indication that she's listening.

"She works so hard." Maka pauses, attempting to gather her thoughts. "But it seems that the more she does, the unhappier she becomes."

Nodding pensively, Nygus glances at her. "Awfully quiet, isn't it?" she says, pulling something small and silver from her sleeve.

"Er, I suppose so," Maka replies awkwardly. What's that?"

She opens her hand, revealing a metal handle. "Special weapon for waterbenders. Sid got it from some traders in Ba Sing Se." She twists her hand once and water gathers at the base of the handle, solidifying into a sharp blade. "Quite useful when there's not much water around. But back to what I was saying."

"I never could stand the silence, that's why I left. In the swamps, you could barely hear yourself think over the racket the animals would make. And on the mainland, it's hardly less noisy, what with running the shop and Black*Star and that pet of his bringing the town on the verge of chaos every few days."

"I'm not sure if I'm following," Maka says.

"I'm not finished yet." She begins twirling the blade with practiced fingers. "The noise is harmonious in its own way. But here the ice swallows up all that, leaving nothing behind. That's what I imagine is happening to your mother."

"The ice is swallowing my mother?"

"Not the ice. The silence from the rest of the village, from your father. But most importantly, from herself."

"But they don't-"

"Hold on." Nygus raises a finger. It's easy to hear the words with this," she says, pointing to her ears. "Promises and politeness hit their mark easily there." She stops twirling the blade. "But hearing words with this," she says, finger moving to point to her heart. "That's a different story. And I don't think your mother's heard a word there in quite a while."

"But _why_?"

The dagger begins to move again. "I can't speak for what happens in your family but the root of it lies with the entire tribe. As adaptable as waterbending is, we haven't done nearly as well to apply that philosophy to our society and their averseness to outsiders."

"That's why?" She blinks in surprise. "But that's ridiculous. My mother has lived here for years and this is only a recent change."

Nygus stops twirling the dagger. "The reason your parents' marriage was accepted in the first place was because for one, Spirit had always been a bit of a wild child and to think his decision on who to marry would be any less scandalous was absurd. No one ever imagined he would become chief. Now that he is…"

"Everything changes," Maka finishes. She looks up towards the sky. The clouds are rolling in fast now. If it continues like this, the storm could start later tonight instead of the next few days.

"Well, I'll tell you one thing that's not going to change," she says as she rises, taking the pot back from Nygus. "I'm always going to be on her side."

* * *

By the time the ceremony begins, the clouds from the impending storm have temporarily receded enough to allow the light from the full moon to break through.

Low chanting from the procession of people fills the air, a steady drum beat keeping them in time. The shrine, carved into the base of what used to be a giant glacier, comes into view as the crowd rounds a bend in the path. The founders of this particular shrine tried to stay as simplistic as possible, adding only a small arch to denote the entrance.

None of it registers with Maka. She walks with her father at the head of the procession, feet feeling as heavy as lead. Her breath comes out in icy puffs as she mumbles the lines to her parts of the ceremony over and over. She spares a glance at her father. If he's feeling nervous about his first time as acting as master of the ceremonies, it doesn't show on his face. His voice is steady as he leads the chants and for the first time since he took on his new position, there is something chieflike in his expression and behavior.

The sudden absence of the people's voices and drums presses against Maka's ears. She looks up.

Four elders of their tribe stand in front of them, each of them wearing a mask representing one of the guardian spirits of their village. An otherwordly ring sounds from within the shrine tolls.

Maka swallows hard. From past ceremonies, she knows it's just a bell but her nerves have suddenly reared up, setting her close to snapping. She quashes the yearning to look back for her mother. Reflexively, she reaches out to the ice, the snow and to the ocean in the distance, feeling their push and pull in her fingertips. It pulses quietly in her blood. Its familiarity settles her nerves and she lets out the breath she'd unconsciously been holding. _Push and pull, _she tells herself as the elders pull apart in one fluid movement and line up in two even rows. She steps in time with Spirit. _That's all it is._

She senses rather than hears her mother and Nygus behind her as the elders close rank once more. Normally, representatives from each village as well as the family of the host tribe's chief were also allowed in the shrine but with the solstice ceremony being the first major event since her aunt and uncle's deaths, it had been decided it was best to give the family privacy.

The entrance to the shrine gets smaller as the group shuffles forward, narrowing to the point where they have to march in single file. As a child, Maka used to feel as though the walls were about to close in on her. Today, she keeps her eyes on the person walking in front of her and nowhere else.

A blast of balmy air nips at Maka's face as the passageway opens up. According to their village's stories, this had been the place where the moon and ocean spirit had landed when they first crossed over from the spirit world. It had been said that they left behind an imprint of their energy when they moved on, imbuing the small crevice of a shrine with warmth and life.

Maka rolls back her shoulders and walks toward the center of the shrine, where the buffalo yak from today's hunt waits in front of a little pond. It's nothing but bones now, the meat having been the main course of the solstice celebration earlier. Now it was her and Spirit's responsibility to purify the bones. Then the elders would bless the bones and divide them up amongst the four villages of the Southern water tribe. Supposedly, the bones guarded the villages from harm until the next solstice.

The push and pull coming from the small pond in the center turns the thrumming in her veins to a throbbing heartbeat. It lulls her into a focused state and she relaxes into the rhythm of the purification process, mirroring her father's steps as they approach the bones. She is so engrossed in her work that when the comforting beat of the pond's push and pull becomes a thundering drum in her head, she merely assumes that the drummers outside have started playing again.

Maka stands and stretches as she and her father finish their part of the rituals. Now all that's left is to light a candle for her uncle and aunt, which will float in a stand in the pond until the solstice is over. The head elder steps forward and holds out the candle to her. As she moves to receive it, the thudding becomes a crash in her ears and the earth rumbles under Maka's feet.

Alarmed, Maka looks to her mother. Vakirah's expression remains unchanged as the ground continues to move.

She tries to take a step forward but a sudden wave of nausea waylays her, the booming thunder in her ears pushing her off balance. The world takes on a blueish tint as she staggers backwards. Maka wavers on her feet, strange blobs of light floating across her vision. Strangely, they don't scare her, instead filling her with a complete sense of calm she's never felt before.

Just before she falls, a hand reaches out and grabs hold of her. Spirit's anxious face comes into view, puffs of breath escaping his lips as he says words she can't understand.

Maka blinks. The blobs and her strange vision disappear along with the peace she felt. Her entire body sags under the weight of the push and pull drowning in her ears. Gritting her teeth, she forces herself to raise her head.

Instead of puffs of air, smoke now gushes from Spirit's mouth. Maka watches in horror as his burning red hair turns into actual flame. She opens her mouth to scream but smoke comes out of her as well. Wrenching her arm out of Spirit's grasp, she doubles over, gasping for air but choking on her own breaths.

When Maka looks up, the entire world is on fire and everything is dissolving into ashes. Except the moon-it has turned into a bloody red orb in what remains of the sky. It pushes and pulls at her boiling blood violently, like a wave during a storm.

Falling to her knees, the only thing Maka can hear over its reverberating crescendo is the crackle of the fire, which sounds like frenzied mirth. The fire chews on the world as if it was candy. Somehow, it refuses to subject her to the same merciful fate, preferring to let the cacophony of noise in Maka's soul slowly rip her apart. She curls up in a vain attempt to keep herself whole.

_Someone please help me, _she thinks as she feels herself crack from the inside. _Anyone._

A roar breaks through the fire, the noise and everything else. It extinguishes the flames and sends the air rushing back into her lungs.

Maka is only able to hold her eyes open for a moment before descending darkness swoops down upon her but she recognizes the purple markings on the underbelly of her protector, who is standing staunchly over her.

"Blair," she whispers.

Her eyes slip shut.

* * *

Maka wakes up to a pounding headache, a babble of excited voices above her head and the sensation of being held in someone's arms. She lets out a small groan and the person holding her freezes while the buzzing conversation around Maka quiets to whispers.

Vakirah's voice murmurs in her ear, her hand brushing back Maka's hair. "Maka? Can you hear me?"

She tries to move her lips or open her eyes but her body refuses to listen. It feels strange, similar to when she's out bending by the ocean. Not weighted down but bigger than herself. Connected to something else.

Behind her, an animal yowls desperately.

At the sound, Maka's eyes snap open, memories of blood and fire dances forward from the edge of her mind to the forefront of her thoughts. She shoots up, twisting around. "Blair!"

Blair lies by the shrine's pond, tied down with rope and surrounded by Spirit's hunting companions. She answers Maka with an excited cry, struggling to break free of her bonds.

A hand encloses around Maka's wrist just as she tries to go to Blair.

"Maka!" Vakirah exclaims in a relieved tone. She holds her close before pushing her back to get a good look at her, eyes worriedly examining her face. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"I'm fine, Mom," Maka says as she cranes her head to look at Blair. She tries to pull away. "What are they doing to Blair?"

Her mother refuses to let go of her. "Blair?" Vakirah repeats. "You know this polar lion?"

Beyond them, Maka becomes aware that all eyes are now on her. "I befriended her a year ago," she says. She pulls herself free and sends a pleading look to her father, who stands midway between her and Blair. "Please don't hurt her."

Spirit opens his mouth but the head elder cuts him off. "This creature desecrated the sanctity of the shrine. It is an unforgivable offense." Behind him, the other elders mumble in agreement.

A million replies leap to the tip of Maka's tongue, each of them ruder than the last.

A new voice speaks up. "You mean you're willing to kill this sacred animal, Takku?"

Everyone's attention snaps to Nygus.

She parts the small crowd of people who entered the shrine during Maka's lapse of consciousness as easily as water. She comes to a stop in front of the people, twirling her knife casually in one hand while her other hand rests on her hip. "Go on, Takku. Are you really willing to do it yourself? Because I have just the blade for you."

"Explain yourself," the old man says warily.

Nygus laughs and in spite of the situation, Maka marvels her daring. "You mean you don't recognize a spirit chain when you see one?"

The phrase sounds foreign to Mala but Takku lets out a bark of laughter, pure disbelief in his eyes. "A spirit chain? You can't be serious, Nygus. Those haven't been in existence for centuries."

"If it's possible for Black*Star, I'd certainly believe it's possible for Maka," Nygus replies evenly.

"You're claiming that child was the one to make that spirit chain?" Takku exclaims.

"He was verified by the Air nomads and they are the experts on spiritual matters," Nygus says. The steadiness in her voice doesn't change but Maka sees the steel glint in her eyes. "We had hoped to keep it a secret but you can only give so many excuses why a wild badgermole would suddenly choose to follow such a reckless, noisy child."

Takku doesn't look convinced but he says, "Even if what you're saying is true, there were none of the usual signs."

Nygus says, "So what we just saw was-"

"Mere weather phenomena." He waves his hand. "And you saw it yourself, she knows the animal. Nothing out of the ordinary with that."

Maka is so wrapped up in the standoff between the two that she starts when Nygus wheels around and addresses her. "Maka, you didn't notice anything strange before you fainted?"

She bites down on her lip, toes curling and uncurling nervously. "I saw fire." Maka pauses. She'd thought what she felt when she entered the shrine was the push and pull of the water and moon but now she realizes it was something else entirely. "And a calling. Something was calling me."

"From what I've read, that certainly sounds like the makings of a spirit chain to me," Nygus comments. "But," she continues, "If you choose to not believe me, then perhaps you may want to check the markings on Maka's arms."

"Markings?" Maka looks down at her arms, which are covered by her parka. She gives a bewildered look to Nygus.

"Take it off," Nygus says with a nod.

Maka's stomach does flip flops as she hauls off her parka, letting it fall to the ground. She hears the crowd collectively gasp. Raising one arm in front of her, she intakes sharply. The faintly iridescent tattoo wrapping itself around her winks blue, gold and violet in the moonlight. It takes on the shape of a wave and as she moves her arm to look at it this way and that way, she swears it moves like one.

"You will find," Nygus says cheerfully to a stunned Takku, "that Blair has the same markings."

The crowd looks to Spirit and the elders but Spirit appears just as confused as everyone else and the elders wear the same expression of befuddled shock.

Maka looks up from scrutinizing her new markings. "Does this mean I can keep Blair?"

* * *

"Your father is going to have a lot of questions to answer tomorrow," Vakirah sighs, kissing the top of Maka's head.

Maka settles back on her pillow and fights off a smug smile. "I'm just glad Blair's here now."

After Nygus' intervention, Blair had been set free. According to Nygus, those in a spirit chain didn't do well without the other so an extremely unwilling Spirit had agreed to allow Maka to take Blair home.

"Yes." Vakirah casts a glance at the polar lion, who dozes complacently on the rug in Maka's room. "I'm glad you've found a companion. Although things are going to change."

"How?" Maka yawns. "I didn't even know what a spirit chain was before today."

"You heard Nygus. None have been any in existence for hundreds of years," Vakirah says, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "When I lived in the Earth Kingdom, I read about them in passing once. They were used as a connection to the spirit world before the arrival of the...Avatar."

Maka fails to keep from rolling her eyes. "Avatar's not a bad word anymore," she reminds her mother.

"Says the person born after the last Avatar," Vakirah replies wryly. "Though I suppose you do have a point." She hesitates and then takes Maka's hand. "Maka, I want you to remember something."

"What is it?"

Vakirah's hands tighten around hers and she opens her mouth and closes it, shaking her head. "It's nothing. Just be sure to take care of Blair. She's not a pet."

"I know that, Mom," Maka replies patiently.

"I know, I just had to be sure." Her mother nods and pats her hand, rising from the bed. She steps carefully around Blair's twitching tail and heads for the door. Vakirah pauses in the doorway. "Maka?"

"Yes?" she answers sleepily.

"Good night."

* * *

The Fog of Lost Souls stretches before Medusa, a lone peak in the middle breaking up the monotonous gray. A section of the fog unfurls and clings to her, whispering melodies of madness in her ear. She smiles, brushing the mist away with a single wave of her hand. "I already know how mad I am, thank you."

She strides forth confidently and ignores both the fog and the ravings of the lesser souls trapped here. Her eyes are rooted on the peak, growing ever closer. When she reaches its base, she kicks once against a hidden door. She waits for a moment and then, upon receiving no answer, peers into the small barred window of the door. There's an incessant scratching as Asura carves with a dull handmade blade into the wall of his prison. Mouth twisting in a frown, she clears her throat.

The scratching pauses and then continues.

Thoroughly vexed now, Medusa calls out, "Av-"

He flies across the room much more quickly than she thought; his hands scrape against her throat as she pulls back. "Don't say it," he hisses. "You can't say it here."

Her lips curve upwards. "Are you that scared of a little word?"

"Not scared," Asura spits, backing away. "It makes me remember." He hurls the rock he was holding to the ground. "That day."

"The last day you were human, you mean?" Medusa says keenly. "Before you got sealed away here?"

"I told you not to say it!" he screeches, yanking the scarves tighter around his face.

Medusa sniffs. Ever since he was imprisoned thirteen years ago, Asura insisted on wrapping his face in scarves. However, he can't hide the madness in his voice as well as his face. There's something else about him that intrigues her as well, something she can't quite place.

She makes a note of it as she turns on her heel. "You only told me not to say your name."

"I thought that was obvious," he growls.

"Then, next time, answer me when I knock the first time," she says.

"Where is Arachne?" he demands. "She usually comes, not you."

"Arachne is taking care of much more important things, namely what will happen after your escape. I am merely the bearer of good news and gifts."

"What gifts?" he asks warily.

Medusa smiles. "Open your hand."

This time, Asura listens without having to be told twice. In his hand, Medusa drops the spider that had been resting in her pocket during her journey. "Courtesy of my dear sister, of course. It is the means of your escape so take good care of it. "

"And the good news?"

"The third one has made a chain."

She watches the spider crawl from Asura's hand and up his sleeve as he digests this information. It's made its way to his hair by the time he speaks. "It's winter."

"How very astute of you."

His voice turns sour. "The seer said all four would make the chain by the end of the year."

"Yes, you are right in that," Medusa steps closer, examining Asura's etchings on the wall. They are nothing more than muddled ravings. "But it seems we have hit a little snag with that."

"What kind of snag?"

"It seems one of the families was forewarned back when you were sealed away," Medusa says, overlooking Asura's enraged hiss. "Finding the child will be no easy matter but we have a plan in place. So for now, your job is to be patient." She watches as Asura swells up, hands twitching as if he itched to strangle something. She waits for him to throw another fit but instead he suddenly deflates and slinks back into the shadows.

He throws her a baleful look. "If that's all, you can leave now."

Medusa nods, somewhat disappointed. "As you wish." She waits until she is safely out of his reach before adding, "Avatar Asura." She smiles as his anguished screams follow her out into the fog, finally pinpointing what had thrown her off about him.

She hadn't been able to smell Asura's soul.


	2. Chapter 2

10,201 A.A.-Spring

* * *

It hadn't seemed like such a bad idea to Black Star at the time. In fact, he had thought it had been a pretty clever one. But as he watches the last boulder from the rockslide hit the broken train tracks with a metallic clang before plunging to the bottom of the canyon below, he has to admit that the execution was more than lacking.

Shadow's whiskers brush roughly against his skin as the badgermole pushes her snout into his hand. She gives a sorrowful snort and hangs her head low, as if to apologize.

He pats the top of her head. "It's not your fault, girl. It was all me." He cracks his knuckles. "Well, time to fix it."

"Black Star!" Tsubaki emerges from the forest that surrounds their town. "There you are," she says. "I've been looking for you all mor-"

The bright expression on her face freezes as she catches sight of the mountain behind Black*Star and the now useless train tracks that curve around it. She looks back at Black Star, who is covered in dust, and then to Shadow, who sports a shallow wound from where a rock grazed her shoulder as she carried him from the rockslide.

"You," she begins before trailing off. "No." She shakes her head in disbelief. "You didn't."

Black Star offers her a wide smile. "Maybe I did?"

There is nothing in this world that Black Star fears but if he was another person, the growing thunderstorm on Tsubaki's face would have him running.

She paces back and forth, throwing her hands up in the air. "You can't just do things like this, Black Star!" She stops pacing and stands right in front of him, hands on her hips. "What exactly were you thinking?"

"That I wanted to help?"

"I don't see how breaking our only form of transportation to the rest of the world is helping," Tsubaki says flatly.

"Well, I didn't see that coming," he retorts. "I was just thinking how much easier things would be if we could just cut through the mountain."

"Cut through the mountain?" she echoes, shock draining away the anger in her voice. "The largest mountain in the entire Earth Kingdom? That's sacred to the entire area?"

"Sacred or not, it's still in the way." He scratches his head. "Although when you put it that way, I guess it does sound kinda bad."

Tsubaki swells up indignantly, her eyes burning indigo. She grabs his arm. "Come on."

"I-what, but I still need to fix the tracks!" he protests as she drags him into the forest. The earth shakes as Shadow burrows underground and follows them.

Tsubaki's words tumble from her mouth and hit him like knives. "When people ask, you were out training with me and you don't mention your idea to anyone."

"But why?" he asks. "I broke it so I should be the one to take responsibility for it." He nearly crashes into Tsubaki as she comes to an abrupt stop. There isn't any of the anger in her eyes nor shock. What lies in them actually looks a lot like fear.

"Do you know who your family is?" she asks in a strange tone.

"Yeah, Nygus, Sid and Shadow."

"No," she says, drawing closer to him. Her face is paler than her robes. "Do you know who your real family is?"

Something in Black Star's chest tightens but he forces a laugh and walks ahead. "Tsubaki, please. What those demons did have nothing to do with the great me."

"You and I both know that's not true," Tsubaki replies as they wend through the forest. "Even though you didn't even know them, the world won't let you forget that you're related to them. If they find out it was you who caused that rockslide, they'd probably arrest you."

He fights the urge to look down at the star tattoo etched in his shoulder. "I messed up. But, Shadow and I are going to change to show that we can help."

"No, I don't think that's going to be possible," Tsubaki says. She comes to a stop right at the forest's edge.

"Why?" he asks, Shadow letting a low rumble in agreement.

She doesn't turn around. "I don't know how the townspeople learned about it but you being the first spirit chain since Avatar Asura rebelled is not seen as a good thing."

"Because of who my family was?" Anger bleeds into his voice. "Other than my connection with Shadow, nothing's different about me!"

"Even though they're not used for what they were in the past, a spirit chain means power. Not just with your chain animal but in other ways," she says, rubbing her head. "And the son of one of Asura's greatest followers with any kind of power makes people nervous." Her hands open and close like they do when she's nervous. "I just hope no one else finds out."

"Well, I don't." Black Star swallows hard. "They're just going to have to get used to it."

She finally turns around. Tsubaki looks at him pensively, the way she looks at her sparring partner before a match. "Sometimes I wish that you hadn't been chosen."

He snaps finally. "I know the world doesn't like me. I don't care!"

"No," she says, "But I care about you."

She leaves him standing there, speechless for the first time in his life.

* * *

Black Star stands in the middle of one of the forest's meadows and contemplates the flowers in his hands. Since he couldn't make up for the screw-up he made with the railroad, then at the very least he could do was apologize for the mess he made with Tsubaki. It would also be a thank you for what she said to him but he'd swallow his tongue first than say that yes, he did care what the rest of the world thought of him and what she said was the nicest thing anyone had told him since he first bonded with Shadow.

He thinks back to last year's vernal equinox-with the dirty looks and whispers that followed him whenever he went out in public, the festival for it had never been one of his favorite times. But this time, instead of staying inside or going out to the middle of nowhere to practice his earthbending, he'd decided to head to the mountain that towered over their village. When he had stumbled on an abandoned badgermole tunnel leading into the mountain, he hadn't thought twice about it, entering the mountain with a fearless cry and following the tunnel's twists and turns until he was so dizzy he had to sit down. It was then that he had realized he had no idea which way led back to the exit.

But not one to give up easily, he had walked for what felt like hours, figuring the tunnel had to lead out sometime. When he saw a faint glow ahead of him, he'd congratulated himself and ran towards it.

Although he had been disappointed to find it wasn't the exit, he had been instantly entranced by what lay in the room. Rows of blue-green crystals, somehow shining bright in the dark, lined the room's walls. In the center of the room, crystal stairs had led to what looked like an altar, the wall behind it etched in the likeness of a long haired man holding two swords, with a dozen others sticking out of the case across his back.

He had recognized him as the Warrior of a Thousand Swords, the spirit of this mountain. He'd touched the engraving before his memory suddenly became hazy. All he remembered was the feeling of being locked in battle with someone he couldn't see and the words: "Which path will you take?"

He'd woken up to a badgermole, much smaller than the ones he'd ever seen, licking his face and strange shadowlike tattoos on his chest and neck. Things had snowballed from there.

And yet one thing that stayed the same was the people's hatred of him. Except now there was a little fear whenever he spoke with someone who wasn't Tsubaki, Sid or Nygus. He hadn't understood what Tsubaki meant when she mentioned him not being like the previous spirit chains but he supposed that whatever they had been was the reason behind that fear.

The scent of flowers on the wind brings him out of his thoughts and back to the present. For now, he decides to put it out of his mind and talk to Sid and Nygus about it later. "What do you think?" he calls to Shadow. "Good enough?"

She lifts her head from the little dirt pile she's made for herself and sniffs the air. She makes a sound of approval, tail sweeping the ground lazily.

"Let's go home then." He turns around and heads for the trail that leads back to town. He's almost at the edge of the meadow before he realizes the familiar feeling of Shadow tunneling underneath him is absent.

"Shadow?" he says, turning back around. The badgermole has her back to him, hunched in an aggressive stance. Whatever has her on the defensive is hidden by her body. She lets loose a growl as Black Star drops the flowers and takes a few steps forward, a clear warning to stand back.

"Young man, could you call off your pet?" a voice asks.

"Pet?" Black Star grinds his foot into the ground. He takes an instant dislike to the stranger whose voice has a grating buzzing quality to it, despite the formal tone. "Shadow is not my pet."

"Regardless, could you tell her to stand down? I'm not going to hurt you."

"Shadow has a good sense of who to trust and who not to trust. And if she doesn't trust you, then I don't either," he answers, edging to the side to get a glimpse of the voice's owner. Shadow moves with him, however, continuing to block out the person.

"Now see here, young man-"

"Quit it with the young man business," he says, laughing humorlessly. "You're not my dad."

"No, but I knew him."

His eyes widen. "What?"

"That got your attention, didn't it?" the voice guffaws. "Yes, I knew White Star. One of the finest soldiers the Order of Asura ever had."

"If you're playing a joke, it's not funny," he says through gritted teeth.

"My dear boy, I never joke. And certainly not about the dead, may White Star's soul rest in peace."

Black Star sucks in a deep breath, muscles tensing. He feels Shadow do the same. "If what you're saying true, then that's just a reason for me to turn you into dust." He and Shadow move as one; he slams his foot down on the earth, sending a shockwave directly towards the voice, while Shadow does the same with her claw, sending earth and uprooted flowers kicking up into the air.

Shadow scrambles over to his side and they both wait for the air to clear, ready to strike.

"This dust won't come out my suit easily," a voice complains from above them. "But that's besides the point."

Black Star blinks twice, unsure if he can trust his eyes.

An old man sits perched on a top hat in mid-air with his legs crossed primly. The only thing bigger than the gray mustache he sports is his pointy nose, which resembles a stinger. He shakes a finger at Black*Star. "Now listen, my boy, you would not be wise to enter a fight with me. You will not win, that's a fact."

"What the hell are you?" Black Star growls.

The old man sniffs. "That's hardly the way to speak to Mosquito, the second-in-command of the Order of Asura."

"You keep mentioning that like it means something to me," Black Star gripes.

"I'm surprised by your lack of knowledge. Your family was our biggest supporter in the Earth Kingdom."

"What I mean is that they don't mean anything to me!" Black Star snaps. "You don't mean anything to me! And if you want revenge because they failed their job, then bring it!"

"Revenge?" Mosquito repeats, astonished. "I want nothing of the kind, young man! We're trying to re-build ourselves." His gaze trails down to Black Star's neck. "We figured it a divine sign from Asura himself when we got wind of your chain."

He yanks his scarf up to hide the corner of the tattoo that peeks out from under his shirt. "It's just coincidence."

"One the world considers an unfortunate one, considering what I heard when the news first came out," Mosquito says. His tone is sympathetic but his shockingly red eyes are shrewd. "Doesn't that make you angry?"

"The only thing that's pissing me off is hearing you talk," he spits. Next to him, Shadow twitches her tail in response to his irritation. "I'm not interested in whatever you have to say to me."

"You talk like your father." Mosquito's eyes narrow briefly. "I can see his ambition bleeding from you. It does make you angry that the world refuses to give you a chance to prove your greatness. It's all you want to do, isn't it? I can give you that. People would will remember _you_, not your family."

Black*Star is quiet. Then his raised hands drop by a fraction. "You'd give me a chance?"

"You will be the greatest warrior that ever lived," Mosquito says. "There won't be a person who won't think of you in awe."

"That does nice." His arms fall a little more and Mosquito's hat bobs down closer to him. Black Star smirks. "But I don't need anyone's help to become great!" He drives his arms upward and punches the air, sending a chunk of earth straight to Mosquito. "Eat dirt!"

Mosquito counters by slamming his face into the rock just as it reaches him. When the debris clears, he's rubbing his nose but otherwise looks unruffled. He meets Black Star's eyes, a brewing rage growing on his face. "Fine, you fool. You've made your choice. And when you regret it, remember this day."

"Shut up!" Black Star launches another piece of earth at Mosquito but the old man dodges it easily and flies off.

* * *

Black Star picks at his dinner morosely, turning his carrot-potatoes into mush.

After his encounter with Mosquito, he had picked new flowers for Tsubaki and headed back to town. Tsubaki had looked a little more than surprised when she showed up at her dojo, donned in her full martial attire, but she had taken the flowers with a smile. But any sense of having atoned somewhat for his mistakes had been dashed by his meeting with Mosquito. He'd retreated into the underground with Shadow until sunset, determinedly ignoring the thoughts in his head by carving out new tunnels for Shadow to lounge in.

Now that he was above ground, all the thoughts Black Star had banished to the back of his mind presented themselves front and center. He doesn't register when the conversation at the table falls quiet nor hear his name being called until he feels a sharp prod in his shoulder. He looks up. "What?"

"You haven't touched your food at all," Nygus comments, raising an eyebrow. She reaches over to touch his forehead. "Are you feeling sick?"

He shrugs. "Just not hungry."

"I don't think there's been a time that you've never not been hungry," Sid snorts. "What's bothering you, kid?"

Black Star puts down his spoon. "What's a spirit chain?"

"I told you that a year ago, didn't I?" Nygus says, her azure eyes meeting his steadily.

"All you said was that it bonded me with Shadow," he persists. "But Tsubaki says it means more than that and I want to know what it means."

Nygus exchanges a deep look with Sid. Then she sighs. "I suppose Tsubaki hadn't told you, someone else would have let something slip." She leans back in her chair, pulling out her dagger and twirling it idly like she always did when she become lost in her thoughts. "Seeing as spirit chains haven't existed since the arrival of the Avatar, most of the accounts about them has been lost. But over the years and with my travels, I've managed to cobble together their general history," she begins.

"Every generation, there were four people, one from each nation, who formed spirit chains with the animals that were the original benders of their element. For the water tribes, it seems the polar lion was the moon spirit's own personal creation. And so a means of keeping our world and the spirit world in balance while the two worlds were still merged together was born."

She looks at Black Star. "Among other things, they were able to commune with even the most difficult of spirits, granted visions of the future and harnessed their own spiritual energy far better than anyone else, using it to keep the peace between the worlds. It was a system that worked until an ancient spirit of chaos and darkness threatened to destroy the world and the Avatar was created to defeat it. With the Avatar's birth, our world and the spirit world were made separate and spirit chains slowly became obsolete, with the last one on record over seven hundred years ago."

Nygus rests her dagger on her palm. "Until you and Maka, that is."

Black Star's quiet, a million thoughts attempting to pull his mind in separate directions. Finally, he speaks. "While this is interesting and all, I still don't see what that's a bad thing. Why can't I-Shadow and I- learn to use our abilities in the same way and put our power to use?"

Her dagger slips from her hand and clatters onto the table; clearly his response isn't what Nygus expected. "That is a terrible idea and surely you can see why," she says.

"No, I don't!" he replies with a little too much force. "If I can show the world how our strength can help, then why wouldn't it be a good thing?"

She shakes her head. "No, Black Star, it's not. At the moment, it's not even sure that the Avatar is a good thing. Although less powerful, spirit chains are not welcome."

He tries and fails to keep the frustration out of his voice. "But why?"

Sid is the one to answer him. "Why, Black Star, why do you think that spirit chains would even exist with the Avatar still around?"

"I-" That stymies Black Star's exasperation temporarily. "I don't know. Why?"

"I have no clue." Sid shrugs. He tugs on one of his braids. "But I'll tell you what the world believes because, in this situation, that's what matters," he says. "People think that what Avatar Asura tried to do fourteen years ago catalyzed the spirit chains' re-emergence, that _maybe_ he even calculated it as a fall back plan if he failed. They might even suspect that you're working with the Order now."

Black Star has to fight to keep his hands from balling into fists. "That's ridiculous. I was a baby when Asura was around."

Sid sighs, suddenly looking anywhere but at Black Star. "When it comes to Asura, the world is extremely paranoid of anything related to him. I've seen it firsthand. It's why I left the army." He studies his hands without interest. "And you have a possible double connection to him. It's not the kind of man I am to judge people based on their predecessors but that's the way things stand."

"Then why hasn't anything been done about Maka and me?" Black Star asks. "If they're that afraid of us."

Sid and Nygus exchange dark looks. "It's probably been considered but seeing as you're two young teenagers, it would be a stretch, even with the world's current attitude," Sid replies. "So as long as you don't prove yourself a threat, there's nothing to worry about." Nygus adds, "And more importantly, no one wants the wrong people paying too much attention to you, what with the Order of Asura still running on its last legs." Her lips press into a thin line and she stretches out to touch his hand. "We just want you to be safe."

Mosquito's bulbous nose flashes in Black Star's mind and his throat closes up.

Nygus rises from the table and into the kitchen. "Well, I think that's enough of that talk." Sid follows her lead, effectively closing the conversation.

Black Star looks down at his plate and back up again. "I'm going out for a while," he calls. "I'll be back soon." He lopes through the back door before Nygus or Sid can protest.

* * *

From where he balances on two hands on the mountain, the only thing above Black Star is the sky. The stars glitter against the velvet darkness of the night sky, winking at him as if they know secrets no one will ever find out. He stares at them for a couple moments before dropping out of his handstand and stretching out on the ground. His breaths come out in foggy puffs, the body heat from Shadow curling around him keeping him warm.

He gazes at the night sky, fighting against the temptation of reliving today and failing spectacularly. The offer Mosquito had made him didn't interest him in the slightest. Nor did it bother him what he said about his father. What did worry him was the threat he'd made before he escaped. But as long as he "didn't prove to be a threat" then he was fine, right?

Sid and Nygus meant well, he knew that, but at the same time, their words had left him feeling as boxed in as Mosquito's had. All of them had spoken like the marks he wore decided his fate. That the only way he could live was by following his father's footsteps or by keeping his dreams unfilled.

Exhaling loudly, he reaches out and lies his palm flat against the earth, feeling everything from the crawling movements of the scorpion-spiders fifty feet away to Shadow's kin deep within the mountain. The frustration that's been piling up is dulled by the crisp air and serene silence.

Out here, he feels free.

The vibrations of someone approaching makes his hand snap up. He's on his feet and in a defensive position in a matter of seconds. "Who's there?" he calls out.

A figure rounds the corner. "It's just me!"

Black Star lowers his hands. "Tsubaki?"

"That would be my name." She steps forward, illuminated by the moonlight.

"What are you doing here?"

"Despite her growth stunt, Shadow still is a fifteen foot badgermole," Tsubaki replies, sitting next to Shadow. She proffers a few apples to the badgermole. "I saw her and then you so I followed." She hesitates. "Did you want to be alone?"

"Nah, I think my head's clear enough now," he answers, taking a seat next to her. The crunch of Shadow chewing fills the silence that falls between them.

Tsubaki is the one to speak first. "Talked with Nygus and Sid, didn't you?"

"They were always open about my family," he blurts out. "Even if they thought it was dangerous information, they shouldn't have kept me in the dark. I have the right to know what a spirit chain actually means."

"With hard work, you can escape your past." Tsubaki strokes Shadow's tail. "It's impossible to outrun your present and future."

He frowns. "What do you mean by that?"

"Anyone who has known you for more than five minutes knows that you're too stubborn to make the same mistakes your family did." Tsubaki turns to faces him. "But they'd also know how eager you are to prove yourself and you might make new and bigger mistakes, especially if you found out what you're capable of."

"Oh." He lapses into silence.

"That doesn't mean you're not allowed to try." She touches his hand. "You just have to be more careful."

Something in his chest eases. "Thanks, Tsubaki."

"Don't mention it," she says easily. "It's hard to see the light when you're stuck in the darkness." She points to the sky. "But that's why you have the stars, right?"

He looks to the sky and then back to Tsubaki. "Right."

* * *

Eruka wrings her hands nervously. Standing at the base of the Warrior of a Thousand Swords' mountain strikes at the frog part of her nature and makes her want to ribbet in fear.

"For Arachne's sake, get some composure."

She jumps at Mosquito's voice, looking upward. He hovers over, a buzzing noise coming from his mouth that sounds like his namesake. "Don't scare me like that!"

He ignores her. "Comport yourself as a proper servant of Medusa."

"An unwilling servant," she mutters. She smoothes her skirt. "I take it you weren't successful."

"I hardly expected to be," Mosquito answers, unruffled. His top hat lands on the ground and he hops off. "The main objective was to find the earth chain and that's what I did." He says, "Now, it is your job to report back to Medusa. Tell her we know where all but the fire chain is and that we have a means of finding him once the Avatar masters all four elements." He turns and continues in his imperious tone. "Free will keep an eye on the girl, Gopher will stay with the boy and Giriko and I will keep an eye on the Avatar. Hopefully, when Asura is freed, all will be in place for his glorious return to this world."

"On it." Eruka mumbles under her breath, a spirit parrot-toad appearing in her hands. She waits until Mosquito has flown away to add, "Pompous old bug."


	3. Chapter 3

10,202 A.A.-Summer Solstice

* * *

It's always the last step that does Soul in. He's always so focused on keeping his balance in the middle of the stairs that when he nearly reaches the bottom, his relief makes him unguarded. Couple today being the day it is and his mind is definitely on other things.

And that is why he lies on the floor in an inelegant heap, Wes doubling over in laughter instead of helping him up.

Soul lifts his head. "I could have died, you know."

"I always envisioned a more noble death for you." He finally sobers and holds out his hand. "Or less clumsy, at least. Happy fifteenth birthday, by the way."

"What I'm getting out of this conversation is that you've pictured my death," Soul replies, taking his hand. He picks up his pack and stands, edging around Wes. "And I've got to say, I don't think I trust you anymore."

"Would you say that if I told Mom and Dad I haven't seen you at all this morning?" Wes says slyly.

"And who said I wanted to go out?"

Wes grins, blue eyes bright. "I'm your brother, Soul. You read like an open book to me. And you never like to be around here on your birthday anymore."

The quiet melancholy hidden in Wes's voice pricks at him but he shoves his guilt away, the ache in his chest and tingling in his feet making him eager to be gone. "I'll be back for dinner," he promises. He pauses before he leaves. "Wes?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

* * *

Soul marches back and forth on the ice cliffs adjacent to the city, hands clenching and unclenching. He tries not to think about it by taking several deep breaths, reciting the history of the water tribes and burying his hands in the snow until he can't feel them but it's no use. He looks at the ocean, his heart thumping painfully. There is something burning in his chest, familiar and foreign all at once and it yanks on his being like a rope in an absurd game of tug and war.

If he told anyone, they'd say he was out of his mind and lock him away. Which may not be a bad thing he considers, feet subconsciously guiding him closer and closer to the edge of the cliff. The temptation to throw himself into the icy water below is almost too enticing.

He forces his legs to buckle and he falls kneefirst in the snow, feet still reflexively marching to the ocean. Soul runs his hands through his hair. This feeling isn't something he's even close to understanding. Two years ago, he had been fine, or at least, he hadn't been dangling off the cliff to madness like he was now. Then he had woken up on his thirteenth birthday to visions of pitch black blood running down his walls and a plaintive cry that had burrowed its way into his chest and never left.

The best way Soul could classify it as was a pull but it was much more than that. Most days, he managed. His visions of perfect worlds being carved away by laughing demons to reveal they were nothing but rivers of ebony blood stayed in the deep abyss of his dreams and the ever-present pull was usually weak enough to be ignored.

All of that had changed again with his last birthday. His dreams had began to leak into his waking world and he'd spent the whole day agonizing over what was real and what was fake, fighting desperately at the same time against the pull he felt. The visions and near overwhelming urge tugging at his feet had refused to fade until sunset fell. Then it had been back to barely keeping it together for the rest of the year.

This birthday, his fifteenth, he had planned ahead, deciding to isolate himself from everyone and everything so they wouldn't see him grappling with that invisible pull since keeping his tenuous hold on sanity was hard enough without an audience. He glances at the sun climbing in the sky. If he could just stay like this till the end of the day, he'd be safe for another year.

Though he wonders just how many birthdays he can stand this.

When the sun is at its peak, the tugging seems to die down, as if whatever is on the other hand has gotten tired. Soul takes advantage of it and sits on a rock a safe distance from the cliff's edge, pulling out the lunch he packed. He munches on his octopus-eel quietly, enjoying the wind's low tune as it sweeps through the cliffs and out to the sea. When he finishes, he stares out at the view.

The day is bright and clear, with a crisp kind of cold that bites at his exposed face. The ocean reflects off the sunlight with bright rays, making the water look like moving glass. Music and delighted laughter drift from the city below as the summer solstice festival gets into full swing.

His shoulders slump and he drops his hand in his hands. He's sure that his parents and Wes are at the festival right now, not enjoying themselves as much as they should be because he's not there. When he comes home in the evening, he's going to have to invent a reason as to why he didn't go. His father will shake his head, his mother will wear a disappointed smile and Wes will defend him and pretend like things are perfectly normal. And he will go to bed, wishing he could be a better son and brother.

He lifts his head and stares at the snow by his feet. But he can't think about that right now or his cracking mental stability might break into unsalvageable pieces. He watches the snow, drifting in circles around him.

At first, it moves slowly at first, guided by the wind, but steadily the snow spins around him faster and faster, like a whirlpool. In the back of his mind, Soul can hear a voice telling him this isn't good and he should go _now_ but the swirling snowpool mesmerizes him. It's when it turns a shade of pure black and laps at his feet that he begins to panic.

"No." He yanks himself but the blood holds onto his feet firmly. Quickly, he moves down to untie his shoes but thin whips of blood wrap around his fingers. The blood is hot against his skin and it bubbles over his hands and feet greedily, trying to pull him down.

Letting out a cry, Soul fights wildly against the blood clinging to his body. However, the more he struggles, the faster he sinks into the ground. _It's only a hallucination,_ he thinks, panicking as he is pulled down to his chest. _You can break it. _The blood forcing itself into his mouth, however, feels very real. He spits it out and stares up at the sky, trying in vain to keep his head above the surface.

He sucks in a breath as he is pulled under.

In the murky darkness, every other sound is silenced but the frantic beating of his heart. Soul clamps his mouth against the instinct to breathe, feeling the blood press eagerly against his lips and nostrils.

A faint vibration from something else flailing tells him he is not alone. He tries to move toward it but he can hardly twist his head in this sea of blood. The tremor reaches his fingertips and moves up to his palms, building into a second heartbeat.

It is the complement to the pull that yanks him down, a push of something, and Soul forces his hands to curl around it just as the pressure in his lungs causes him to inhale black blood. As he begins to drown, the heartbeat warms his hands like a spark.

It gets hotter and hotter until he can't stand it anymore and he unfurls his hands. A spurt of flame flies from Soul's palms and into the darkness, a bright orange that deepens to a burning red. The fire surrounds him in an orb of flame. Soul doesn't understand nor does he care. He pushes the flame upward, which amazingly bends to his will, and kicks upward and holds tight to the flame.

His head breaks the surface and Soul crawls forward, the fire soaring into the sky and extinguishing itself with a crackle. He lies on his back, gasping for air as reality returns to him. When the world stops spinning, he sits up and looks around.

He smiles grimly to himself. There are signs of him thrashing in the snow but none of the remnants of pool of blood he was drowning. Like he thought, just a hallucination. Soul clasps his hands together. Yet that flame had felt so real. Sighing, he flicks open his hands.

A tiny flame lays cradled in his hands, pulsing like a tiny heartbeat.

Soul stares at the bright fire dancing on his palms with wide eyes. He claps his hands together, smothering the fire. Then he opens them again and the fire waves up at him. He closes his hands and does it again. And again.

"Impossible," he tells the fire.

"And yet here you are."

Soul lets out a yelp and scrambles to his feet, turning around. Not ten feet from where he is stands a person he had only ever seen in the papers. His glasses flash, the scars from his exploits fifteen years ago vivid against his skin.

"Commander Stein," he whispers.

"That was a title I never agreed to," the grey-haired man replies in a monotone voice. "I much prefer doctor." A brief smile twists his face. "Science was my first love and I do enjoy experimenting on things." He adjusts his glasses. "Although I haven't been able to much of that for a while now."

"I'm sorry?" Soul says, tucking his hands behind his back. It's futile to hope that Stein didn't see the fire in his hands considering the knowing look on his face but perhaps if he wills it hard enough, Stein will say nothing.

"Don't be, much more interesting things have been happening lately." Stein moves forward and takes a seat on the snow. Sunlight glints off his glasses. "And you're one of them."

Or not.

He gestures to the rock Soul was sitting on. "Have a seat, Soul."

Fresh shock keeps Soul from protesting and he sits, eyeing Stein. "How do you know my name?"

"I know many things, including your name," Stein replies. "Would you like to know a few of them?"

"I-sure," Soul says, nonplussed.

"Well, I suppose we should start before that," Stein says thoughtfully. "What do you know about me, Soul?"

"Um." Soul thinks for a moment. "You were the one who organized the four nations' troops against Asura."

"Exactly fifteen years ago, in fact," Stein says, nodding. "They're expecting me at festival down below, going to give me another plaque for the home I never visit." He sniffs. "I'd rather a lab and a promise to never make me give another speech again, to be honest. Go on."

"You, along with the person that they called Lord Death, were the ones that sealed away Avatar Asura," Soul answers awkwardly. He has not the slightest clue where Stein is leading with this. "And now you're in charge of hunting down the rest of Asura's followers." He pauses. "And uh, that's all I really know."

"Fairly accurate, although I'd call me sealing away Asura a stretch," Stein says, looking at Soul. "I was merely the one that got Asura in the place where he needed to be. Lord Death was the one who sacrificed himself to open the portal and summon the spirits that sealed Asura away. I almost got dragged in myself." He points to his face, to his scars. "That's how I got these."

They're both quiet, Soul struggling for something to say.

Stein speaks again. "When the portal opened that day, I saw many things. Some that already happened, some that are happening and some that have yet to occur. And there's one thing that I'm working on keeping from ever happening."

Soul finally decides on the truth. "I'm not sure if I understand why you're telling me this," he says.

"You're not supposed to," Stein replies, smirking briefly. "And if I can help it, this _will_ have nothing to do with you but Asura is a tricky enemy with many cards up his sleeve."

"Asura?" Soul repeats blankly. "But he's gone."

"A lion-serpent will still thrash around for a few minutes after its head has been cut off," Stein answers. "Asura is the same way."

"And this connects to me, how?" Soul insists. He thinks to the nightmare his life has become, heart racing.

"Whatever you're experiencing doesn't connect you to anything yet," Stein says. "Think of it as a prelude for something yet to come. And that's all I will say on the matter."

Soul sighs. "I think I'm more confused than I was before."

"Good." A smile flashes across Stein's face before disappearing. "I'm telling you all this as a warning, Soul. Though it may end up backfiring on me." He looks at Soul. "I will say this. If you want to live a normal life, forget what you just discovered today, pay no mind to anything out of the ordinary you see and find happiness in your ignorance."

An icy dread runs up Soul's back. When he had held the small flame in his hands, he had felt a peace he hadn't felt for two years. He's not sure if he's willing to give that up. He swallows hard. "And if I can't?"

Stein looks out to the ocean. "Misery loves company. Find some friends."

* * *

"He's never been this late before," Marie murmurs, breaking the silence in the Northern Water tribe's temple. "Something went wrong. He's not coming."

"We have to be patient." Stein glances at the statue of the messenger spirit, its jeweled eye still unlit. "A few more minutes."

"You know I'm not complaining," she says with a sigh. "I just don't like having this eye exposed for too long."

"Medically speaking, you should let it breathe in the sun everyday," Stein replies. "Otherwise your vision will begin to suffer."

"I'd rather that over the chance of anyone seeing me," Marie says shortly.

"Your decision." Stein shrugs. "I personally don't see the problem."

"I suppose you wouldn't," Marie says after a moment. "But that's why I don't mind being like this with you." She changes the subject before he can answer. "So you talked to that boy today? Soul?"

"I did."

"Is he one of them?"

"He certainly is." Despite his words, Stein begins to feel impatient. Marie was right-their messenger, for all their flaws, was not a tardy spirit. "I also checked in with his family. The way they described his behavior certainly fits the consequences of an unfulfilled chain."

Marie shifts on her feet, excitement creeping into her voice. "Then that's it, we've found all of them! Then her enthusiasm dies down. "Did you tell him?"

"Certainly not. The public announcement the World Council insisted on for the water and earth chains was not a smart move."

"You know as well as I do how monitored they are after everything that has happened, there's nothing they can keep hidden. We were lucky they only announced that the chains existed and nothing else," Marie points out. "But Soul's situation is different. You've seen what he goes through. You should at least tell him, spare him the confusion at least."

"Any information publicly given to the enemy is a mistake," Stein answers. "And trust me when I say what Soul endures is better than him knowing the truth."

Marie crosses her arms. "So what did you tell him?"

"Enough."

He doesn't have to look at Marie to know she is frowning. "I just don't understand why we can't be straightforward with them, keep them safe. Explain to me that."

Stein holds up a finger. "One, we don't even know if they figure into Asura's revival. The most we have right now is an educated guess based on timing and some old legends. Furthermore, with the chains being comprised of a son from a fugitive family, the daughter of a prominent Southern water tribe chief, the last of the Star clan and finally the Avatar himself, we can't simply scoop them out of their lives and into hiding. We would be practically begging the Order to come find us."

"Three," he continues. "Our resources are stretched to the limit. That's why we had to entrust the Star clan's child to Sid. Keeping an eye on the chains is the most we can manage. And finally, if they really turn out to be part of Asura's plan, having them together would be the last thing we want." He gives Marie a look. "Despite the reports we give to the World Council, you know that we're no closer to finding the rest of the Order of Asura than we were fifteen years ago."

"You've made your point," Marie grumbles. "I still don't like it."

It's quiet and then she speaks again. "What even makes you suspect the chains have something to do with Asura?"

"The three chains bonded two years ago, right before they left childhood just like spirit chains of old," Stein replies. "Thirteen years before that, Asura was sealed away. Maybe it just is a coincidence in timing and mere guesswork on my part but it wouldn't leave my mind."

"And there's this spirit," she says crossly, motioning to the statue in front of them. "Along with that seer spirit. I hope he has the information you want."

She begins to say something else but freezes mid-sentence. Her exposed eye, the one she calls cursed, glows golden like the jewel eyes of the statue in front of them.

"You're late again, you fool!" the voice issuing from Marie is deeper, more grating, more demanding.

Stein's teeth clicking together are the only outward sign of his annoyance. "You use that word but I don't think you know what it means, Excalibur."

"Fool!" Marie cries again, pacing around the temple agitatedly. "I am the oldest messenger spirit in existence, I know everything!"

Stein doesn't take the bait but instead gets down to business. "It's been a year. What news from Azusa?"

"Who?"

His fingers twitch. "And here I thought you knew everything."

"Fool, I was just sifting through my immense trove of knowledge." Marie gesticulates wildly, as if she was holding a long, thin object. "The sharp-eyed seer says Asura still wastes away in his cell."

"Good, what else?" Stein asks.

"Whispers of an insurrection from the Gorgon spirits. It appears you were correct in suspecting them and she fears that the efforts you and she took earlier will prove fruitless." Marie sniffs. "While she's partly to blame for this, she worries far too much and overuses her sight."

The relief he'd allowed himself to feel fades away. "How is she to blame?"

"Must I explain everything?" Marie wheels around. "When she saw three of the four chains come into being, she remembered something. As you _should_ know, her duties as a seer spirit compel her to answer all questions in her power. A year after Asura was banished, the older Gorgon sister came to her and asked if she saw any children with uncommon spiritual potential. She answered."

He closes his eyes. "She gave their names."

"You do know a few things," Excalibur responds. "However, she became suspicious and didn't tell her where they were and paid quite dearly for it."

"That's the one silver lining out of all of this," Stein sighs. "Other than that, why does she think the Gorgon sisters are involved?"

"It appears they've been visiting the Fog of Lost Souls many times in the past few years," Excalibur boomed. "Seeing as there's better places to vacation in the spirit world-the wilds are one of my favorite places by the by-she found it suspicious. Furthermore, she saw the Gorgons' spirit allies here on earth and the remaining human followers of Asura cavorting with each other. I hope I don't have to connect the dots for you there," he finishes.

Stein frowns, fingers itching to cut into something. "You don't."

"She also says she's working on a back-up plan now."

His head snaps up. "What plan?"

"Rounding up some of the Gorgons' enemies and spirits with sound moral values. But it may take a while since some of them don't get along," Excalibur says. "I think it's far better to nip the problem early than having to leave it to humans."

"Who happened to rid the world of Asura in the first place," Stein states.

"Lord Death merely summoned the spirits, who then did all the work," Excalibur counters dismissively. "So it drained his life's energy, I've had that happen to me when I was no younger th-"

Excalibur cuts off abruptly, the golden glow in Marie's eyes disappearing.

Stein looks toward the statue, its eyes no longer lighting up the semi-darkness. "Looks like your time is up. "

Marie shudders as she comes back to herself. "I will never get used to that feeling." She pulls her eyepatch over her eye. "He wasn't too annoying, was he?" She looks at Stein, her face grows serious. "It wasn't good news."

"It's not the best," he answers.

"Well?"

"It wasn't a coincidence," he says. "Spirit chains reappearing after Asura. He's looking for them because he needs them for something." He takes of his glasses and rubs his eyes. "What exactly, I don't know. The only good thing is that the Order of Asura doesn't know where they are." He half-expects Marie demand they move to protect the chains now but instead she simply asks, "What do we do now?"

"The same as always. The brains of this operation are in the spirit world but their hands are in our world," Stein says. He looks at Marie. "Let's cut them off."


	4. Chapter 4

10,203 A.A.-Two months until the Summer Solstice

* * *

The land below Kid merges smoothly into sea, the crisp sea breeze instantly cooling the air around him. He pats Beelzebub on his neck. "Just a bit further, boy."

The air bison jerks his head and gives a low affirmative grunt.

Kid stretches, looking at the other two passengers on Beelzebub. Liz snores lightly while Patti stares intently at the clouds, squinting in a way that makes him nervous. "Hey, sis," she calls out, not taking her eyes off a particularly fluffy cloud. "I've got a question for you."

On Kid's right, Liz lifts her head, roused from her nap. "Yeah?"

"Doesn't that cloud look like a berry cake to you?"

Liz glances at the cloud in question. "Yeah, I guess it kinda does. Why?"

"Do you think that it tastes like a berry cake would?" She drops the question casually but out of the corner of his eye, Kid sees her tense up. Liz must see the same thing because she lunges toward her sister, yelling, "Patti, no!" at the exact moment that she leaps off Beelzebub's back.

Kid lets out a strangled cry as Liz tries to wrench Beelzebub's reins from his hands. Beelzebub groans bewilderedly, dipping up and down in the air.

"Kid, don't just sit there, do something!" she screeches.

"Let go of the reins and maybe I will!" he yells back.

"No, you let go!"

"Why are you two always fighting?" Patti asks conversationally.

Liz and Kid stop their tug of war over the reins and Beelzebub halts his erratic bobbing, hovering in mid-air. They swivel their heads to look at Patti standing over them, soaking wet but no worse for wear.

"Patti!" Lis hurls herself at her sister. "I thought I lost you!"

"Didn't you remember our new outfits, sis?" Patti pulls herself away and spins in a circle, flapping her arms. "I can fly like a bird now!"

Liz stares down at her red and yellow flight suit. "Oh, right."

"Hey!"

Kid turns, seeing one of their escorts fly up to them. The air nomad navigating the bison waves politely at the three but the armed guard does not. He glares at the air above Kid. "Is there a problem here?"

Liz's hands ball into fists but Kid speaks before she does. "No, sir."

"Get a move on then." The guard meets Kid's eyes for half a second and he narrows his eyes in disgust.

"Right away, sir." Kid gives him a smile and flicks Beelzebub's reins. The air nomad and guard fall back into position as they begin to move forward again.

"I don't understand how you can tolerate people like that," Liz gripes. "I'd punch them in the face."

"Then I'd have to punch the entire world in its face," Kid replies calmly. "And you should know violence goes against our code by now."

"We've only been here three years," Liz says. She shoots a glare in the other air bison's direction. "A small slip-up would be more than understandable."

Kid is unamused. "I accepted the world's dislike of me a long time ago."

"The world minus two," Patti interjects from behind them. "We like you, Kiddo."

He smiles. "Thanks, Patti, but what I meant is that if I let every little comment get to me, I'm not going to change the reputation my predecessor left behind." Ahead of them, the island housing the Western Air temple, slowly comes into view. "I have to show people I'm different." He lowers his head in respect. "In the meantime, my personal feelings can't be a factor in my behavior."

* * *

"Again!" Kim orders haughtily from where she, Liz and Patti perch on the base of one the giant statues that lines the temple's courtyard. "Don't ever show weakness to your opponent or you'll be doing fire squats until you die." Next to her sit Liz and Patti who watch Kid raptly.

Kid sucks in shallow and quick breaths, doubled over in exhaustion and soaked with sweat from hours of sparring. However, at Kim's words, he straightens immediately and sinks back into his fighting stance.

His opponent, Jackie, sweeps up her long hair in a ponytail and takes up her position opposite of Kid. She wears a concentrated look on her face, fire bubbling from the palms of her hands as she eyes Kid.

He waits for her to move first. Jackie's defensive style is the complement to Kim's aggressive way of fighting; her patience is endless and she is a master of contriving ways of winning simply by sapping all of Kid's energy. Sure enough, the branch of fire she hurtles his way is a safeguarding move veiled as an offensive one. By the time he deflects it and counters with a fire kick, she's already danced over to the other end of courtyard, whipping up a spiraling fire vortex.

He thrusts his hands upward in response, blocking with a wall of fire. He doesn't let the vortex die but instead moves his hands in rapid circles, the fire wall turning into a pair of snapping jaws and grabbing hold of it. He spins the fire a few more times before sending it back at Jackie, who pushes it back again to Kid.

"Are we playing a game of catch now?" Kim calls. "Stop playing around and get serious. I want to see blood."

Liz looks up, alarmed. "I'd really ather not."

Jackie makes a face. "We'll go for figurative blood." She presses her hands together and pulls them apart as the fire is sent back to her, splitting it in half. She twists her wrists once and the fire reforms itself into long whips of flame. Moving nimbly, she lashes forward suddenly, striking the whips at Kid's feet.

As a natural-born airbender, Kid's speed outmatches even Jackie and he dodges the whips with ease. But she is relentless in her attack and as the fight stretches out, he feels himself tiring. A particularly well-aimed whip forces him to jump higher in the air and he lands on his feet more forcefully than usual. He grimaces at the the sharp ache in his ankle and retreats, backpedaling out of the whips' range. Jackie does not follow him, instead reining in the flames so they look like extra fiery limbs. Even though she isn't looking in his direction, he knows she's still monitoring his every move.

Kid studies her closely; the key to breaking through her defenses is taking the fight up close so she doesn't have room to use those flame whips. He nods to himself, knowing he has only one chance to get it right. He goes still and brings his hands together, closing his eyes. He searches deep for that spark he felt when he first learned how to firebend.

It comes to him easily, burning bright in his palms. He lets it build and build until the heat is white hot and then he releases it in a blazing shower of sparks. The light is so bright that Kid can see it as clearly as if he had his eyes open. However, he doesn't need his eyes to see-the vibrations he senses in his feet works just as fine as his eyesight.

Jackie isn't as affected by the light as much as he hoped, immediately cloaking herself with flame to temper the brunt of the attack, but it's enough to catch her off-guard. Kid shoots forward and strikes directly, his fire jab cutting through her defenses.

She stumbles back but she recovers quickly, sending a spurt of flame his way but he slices through it easily and doesn't allow her to twist away from him, keeping no more than a step between them. His only thought is keep her off-balance and he continues his assault of short shots of fire without break.

He takes his chance when Jackie leaves her center open to swerve out of the way from one of his hits. The fire punch she takes to the chest knocks her off her feet and Jackie lands on the ground with a groan. He holds his posture for a moment, one arm raised over her. Then he drops it, extending his hand out to her. "You're quite the opponent."

Jackie stops rubbing at where Kid hit her in her protective gear. She grins, taking his hand. "As are you."

"I wasn't so impressed." Kim's voice comes from behind them, much closer than before. "But as a new master, I guess your style is going to be a little lackluster at first."

Kid turns, unsure if he should believe his ears. Of all the elements, fire had taken the longest for him to grasp. "Master?" he repeats.

"You heard me." Kim speaks nonchalantly but there's a hint of pride in her tone. Beside Kim, Liz and Patti wear identical expressions of pride. "I don't use that word lightly."

Jackie places a hand on Kid's shoulder. Her face is shiny from the heat and she looks exhausted but her eyes are bright. "There's not much else we can teach you. The only thing that will make you better now is experience."

His throat closes and he bows low. "Thank you, Master Kim. Master Jackie."

"Now you've only got to master the Avatar state," Jackie says cheerfully as he straightens. She frowns at Kid's suddenly glum expression. "What's wrong?"

He swallows hard, happiness dying away. "I've never been able to go into the Avatar state." Kid stares down at the ground, the confession burning him. "No matter how much I've tried. I don't know why."

"Oh," she says awkwardly. "I'm sor-"

"No need to apologize," Kid answers. "It's something I need to work out on my own."

"Or maybe you just need a little push," Patti wonders aloud. "You did need to nearly be crushed by a boulder to learn how to earthbend."

Kim crosses her arms, raising her eyebrows. "I'd certainly be willing to help with that."

"The offer is appreciated but I think I'll have to decline," Kid says hastily, backing away. "Anyways, shouldn't we go inform the elders of my progress?"

Liz's arm wraps around Kid's shoulders. She grins. "I have a better idea. There's a resort across the island, only a couple hours away at most. Why don't we have a little fun for once?"

"That's not a wise idea." He shook his head. "We'll get in trouble."

"But it _is_ a fun one." Kim comes up on his other side. "You spend so much time bouncing from one place to another, I'm sure you never get a chance to unwind."

"It's a necessary precaution," he protests. "Even if I wanted to agree, it's too dangerous leaving the air temple without an escort."

"There has never been a time when any of Asura's followers, or anyone else for that matter, attacked us," Liz counters. "And it's not like we're going far."

Kid feels Patti's breath on his neck as she loops an arm through his. "Come on, Kiddo," she cajoles. "Just this once." He looks helplessly at Jackie, who smiles sheepishly and gives a little shrug. "Gotta get to know the world if you want to be its Avatar, right?"

He waits for another moment before giving in. "Very well." Kid strains to make himself heard over the sudden uproar. "But only a few hours."

"We'll be back before nightfall," Liz promises.

* * *

"There you have it," Giriko says gleefully as the golem finishes its transmission. He leaps to his feet. "He's a fully realized Avatar now so let's go get him!"

"Not quite a true Avatar." Mosquito continues to sip his tea. "He still hasn't gone into the Avatar state."

"The chains fix that problem." Giriko veers around. "We should get him now. This is a golden opportunity we have and you want to lie back and enjoy your tea. If you've turned too much into pacifist in your old age, let me handle it."

Mosquito inhales through his nose, the grip on his cup tightening. "If you think about it for a moment instead of jumping around like the brainless fool that you are, my dear boy, I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Giriko's jaw twitches. "The only thing I don't understand is why we're not moving," he growls, gesturing toward his golem. "You heard it. The time is now."

"No, it's not," Mosquito replies, shaking his head. "The last chain has not been found. Until that happens, capturing the Avatar is a ludicrous idea. We would be hunted to the ends of the earth, the other chains would certainly be taken into hiding and all of our work would be wasted."

"I think you're just afraid," Giriko drawls. "That or your judgement is getting shoddy."

Mosquito smiles. "I'm not that one with that horrendous hairstyle."

Giriko's face twists in an ugly sneer. "Watch your mouth, otherwise I'll break your brittle old bones."

Mosquito puts his cup down and rises from his hat, the leaves of the forest above the air temple crunching under his feet. "My dear _boy_." He steps closer to Giriko. "You would not be wise to pick a fight with me." He jabs his finger at Giriko. "I'm the one in charge here. You do what I say and not the other way around. We don't move until all the pieces are in place. Understood?"

Pure rage crosses over Giriko's face. Then as it quickly as it appears, it vanishes. "Whatever, old man. At least you'll be the one to blame if this blows up in our faces." He snaps at his golem and it comes to life, letting out a series of soft beeps. "Looking at you is ruining my appetite. I'm off to go find some food."

* * *

Kid glances at the darkening sky, alone on the beach. With Beelzebub, it hadn't taken too long to get to the other side of the island.

They had touched down on one of the many beaches running along the island's coast just as the sun had begun to sink into the sky. After situating the air bison in a roomy cave with plenty of treats, the group had trekked over to one of the more populated beaches, finding a small fishing village in the midst of some seasonal festival. Slowly, they had peeled off into their own little groups. Jackie had cajoled Kim into joining her into putting on an impromptu fire show for the children that had grouped around her, fascinated by her pink hair as much as the fire.

On the other side of the village, Liz had convinced a group of muscled men to try to best her in a contest of who could hold their breath the longest, happily collecting their money when they lost, while Patti had taken a special joy in dominating the games booths that lined the main street of the village.

To Kid's surprise, no one had recognized him. His tattoos on his arm were covered up by his robes and his only other defining feature, his black hair with three white stripes running through one side, had been covered up by a straw hat Liz had brought. It would be easier for all involved if he could just shave his head and looks like a normal Air nomad but until he entered the Avatar state, that, along with receiving his head tattoo, was something he was not allowed to do.

Kid's hands dig in the sand. Although he refused to say it out loud, he was growing increasingly worried that he was simply an Avatar who couldn't use the Avatar state at all. When he was younger, he had suspected it was because of Avatar Asura's actions. But eventually he had realized that, even though he had inherited the ramifications of Asura's actions, they were two separate people.

Which meant that it wasn't a problem with Kid the Avatar but rather Kid the person. Something was wrong with him-there was something in him that was out of order.

Perhaps that's why he hates his hair so much. He pushes himself up, dusts off his clothes and starts heading for the village, more than ready to go back to the temple. At least there, he had a sense of purpose.

He's so lost in his thoughts that he doesn't notice the hole in the sand until he's already tripping.

"Easy, kid." A gloved hand catches him, yanking Kid up. He feels his hat tumble off.

He looks up at the stranger who caught him. With his blond spiky hair and metal piercings in his ears and nose, he hardly looks like one of the villagers. He gives his head a small shake, reminding himself of his manners. "Thank you, sir."

The stranger bends down and picks up Kid's hat, holding it out to him. "That's some interesting hair, kid. Puts mine to shame." His smile looks almost predatory.

"I-yes, family trait," Kid answers awkwardly, taking the hat quickly and putting it back on. He edges away. "Well, thank you again."

To his relief, the stranger turns away, waving a hand. "Don't mention it."

Kid watches as he fades completely into the darkness before coming to his senses. He finds (rather stumbles upon) Jackie and Kim first in a darkened alleyway. The three leave together without saying a word, coming to a silent agreement to never mention what he had seen.

Liz hasn't moved from where she left, only this time Patti is with her and both of them are arm wrestling people twice their size while half the village cheers them on. They leave their admirers only when Kid threatens to go to the temple without them. As they head back to Beelzebub, Liz counts the coins bursting out of the pouch she carries. "Fifty gold pieces, twenty three silver ones and nineteen bronze ones," she cackles. "Not bad at all, sis."

"Can I buy an elephant-bird with that?" Patti asks eagerly. "Or maybe a platypus bear?"

"For several reasons, no," Kid replies. He looks at Liz. "Furthermore, need I remind you Air nomads have no need for things like money? We'll donate it to someone who needs it."

"I'm a person in need," Kim offers.

Jackie smacks her arm. "We are wards of the Fire Lord! We don't need anything."

Liz holds the pouch close to her and looks at it sadly. "I had plans for these coins."

Kid leads the group over the rocks leading to Beelzebub's cave. "One of the tenets of being an Air nomad is to put others before yourself."

"Oh, very well," she grumbles. "I'll find some family who needs it."

Kid's reply is cut off by the the cold shiver that goes through him at the sight of five shadowy figures standing in front of the mouth of the cave. The only human-looking one out of the group takes a few steps towards them.

"Stop right there," Kim orders. Together, she and Jackie move together and they create a circle of fire between themselves and the person. The light off the fire illuminates the stranger's features and a wave of recognition sweeps through Kid.

"What are you doing here?" he asks.

"You know this guy?" Jackie says.

"Hardly," He scrutinizes the man's face. "He was also on the beach."

"Name's Giriko," he says casually, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I saved you from faceplanting right in the sand, didn't I, Kid?" The grin pasted on the stranger's face stretches even wider. "And you know what they say, one good turn deserves another."

"What do you want?" Liz demands. She and Patti barely give Kid any room to move, all but smothering him.

"It's more of what my boss wants," he answers. "Or rather, who. You see, when your friend fell, his hat came flying off and I just happened to notice his hair is awfully different. Three white lines on one side of a head of black hair. Know who else has that hair?"

He waits a beat before answering himself. "The Avatar."

Liz's voice takes on a steely edge. "You need to leave right now."

"Or we'll make you leave," Patti adds.

"Of course," he says, surprising them all. "I'll happily leave." He points to Kid. "But only if I have him."

Kid squeezes between Liz and Patti, glaring at Giriko. "You're one of the Order of Asura, aren't you?"

Giriko's grin grows twisted. "You might know me as Sawfoot."

Kid hears several hisses of disgust, including his own. He tastes bile in his mouth. "You betrayed your regiment against Asura."

"I was always on Asura's side so as far as I'm concerned, there was no betrayal," Giriko replies, shrugging. "It's your side's fault for not weeding me out." He gestures behind him. "See those golems over there? It was their prototypes that wiped out my side of the army." He takes another step closer. "You should have heard the screams," he says dreamily. "They never stood a chance."

An unnatural rage unfurls in Kid's chest. "You disgust me."

"Hey, no offense, but I don't really care," Giriko says. "But back to business. I want you to come with me. And I assume you want to keep your friends safe. If we go off on your air bison alone, my golems won't hurt your friends." He grins. "I promise."

Fear clenches around Kid's heart. "What have you done to Beelzebub?"

"Oh nothing, nothing at all." Giriko raises his hands. "I wouldn't dream of hurting a hair on your precious animal's head. Now, what do you say?"

"You know if you go off with him, you're not coming back," Liz whispers urgently. "It's five against five, golems or not, we can take them."

Kim nods. "Liz is right, Kid. Don't do it."

Patti's hand latches around Kid's forearm. He looks ahead, beyond Giriko and at the four golems that haven't moved since this standoff started. They aren't that much taller than Giriko and have domed heads, thick arms hanging at their sides. He pulls himself free, taking a deep breath. "Stay here and follow my lead."

"But Kid-" Liz protests.

"I mean it," he says harshly. Without another word, he walks to Giriko until the only thing separating them is the fire. Up close, he can see the barely restrained anger burning in Giriko's eyes. He glances down at his feet, seeing now the blades lining his boots. "So if I go with you, you'll let my friends leave?"

"Without a scratch," he replies instantly.

Kid grits his teeth. "You're a bad liar."

Giriko's expression turns even uglier. "You'll come with me or I'll drag you to Ember Island myself."

Kid senses the microscopic changes in Giriko's stance before he moves, pre-empting his attack with a whip of air. He's nearly blown off his feet, only saved from being thrown into the air by activating the blades in his shoes. "You're gonna regret that," he snarls.

His golems begin to move as he speaks, coming to life with clumsy and awkward movements. A strange ringing fills the air as their movements quicken. The ring of fire surrounding Giriko moves as Jackie and Kim lash out against the two golems lumbering toward them on the right. Meanwhile, Liz whips up a tornado as Patti zips around on a ball of air, drawing the other golems' attention.

Kid looks at Giriko, who is still standing in the same spot and looks almost hesitant now. Then he spies Kid watching him and he bares his teeth. "You think that's all I have up my sleeve, Kid?" He raises a hand in the air, his glove sparking. "You have no idea."

A single branch of lightning fills the air. For a moment, nothing happens.

The whirring of the golems reaches Kid's ears before they emerge from the forest, seven in number and much bigger than the golems they're facing off now. Their hands crackle with the same lightning Giriko just wielded.

Kid runs straight at the golems, slicing his hands in an upward slash, sending forth an air blast that does nothing to deter the golems from advancing. He glances behind himself. Jackie and Kim are fighting back to back while Liz and Patti are both managing tornados of their own now. If these golems reach to where they're fighting, then they will lose.

He swings his arms to the side and a jet of water flies from the ocean, hitting one of the larger golems squarely in the chest. It's blasted onto its back but within seconds, it's on its feet again. In the same movement, Kid pulls his arms to himself, calling back the water, and flicking out his wrists. The ice shards that hit the golems do nothing to pierce whatever material they're made out of nor does the burst of flame that Kid strikes at them.

Desperately, Kid slams his foot down and splits the earth. The golems fall like pins into the pit, landing with a crash. He glances back to the other four. The smaller golems lie in pieces and Giriko is nowhere to be seen. He lowers his arms, breathing out a sigh of relief.

It turns into a intake of horror as several grappling hooks shoots out of the hole. Three golems climb out, hardly a scratch on them. They raise their arms, lightning crackling in their palms.

"Kid, get away from there!" Liz appears out of nowhere, grabbing his arm and dragging him backwards. Besides her, Patti sends out a whirlwind, temporarily freezing the golems. From somewhere behind him, Jackie yells, "When did these guys join the party?"

The five bunch together and Kim and Jackie call up a second ring of fire, its heat blazing. It deters the golems but Kid knows it won't hold for long. "We're not going to be able to defeat all of them," he says, looking up and searching for Giriko. He finds him standing on top of the cave, the light from the moon casting a deathly pallor on his face. Giriko does absolutely nothing but wave merrily at Kid.

They stand in the center of circle, the feeling of dread nearly palpable. Just as Kid comes to a decision, Kim speaks. "Well, it's obvious what we have to do, isn't it?"

"There's no way we can defeat them." She looks over at Jackie and something passes between them before she meets Kid's eyes. "But we will be able to hold them off until you escape."

Kid blinks, numbness of resignation to their situation shattered. "No," he says forcefully. "No, I can't let you do that."

"You're not letting us do anything," Jackie says. "This is our choice."

"They'll kill you!"

He feels Patti's hand wrap around his while Liz looks at him, wearing a pained expression. "They're right and you know that."

"No, I don't know." He shakes his head, clenching his eyes together. He's never wished more than that moment that he could use the Avatar state. That he could be powerful enough to take out the golems in a single shot, to annihilate the smirk off Giriko's face. But here he is, a useless Avatar.

"You do," Patti says quietly. "It's the right thing."

He pulls his hand from hers. "Fine." The word tastes disgusting to him.

The rest of the group, however, breathes a sigh of relief. "Head straight for the cave," Jackie says. "We'll give you an opening and make sure nothing touches you."

Liz and Patti ready themselves on the opposite end of the circle but Kid hesitates.

"Go!" Kim snaps. "This is our show now."

Unwillingly, Kid joins Patti and Liz. "They can take care of themselves," Liz says without looking at Kid.

"Right."

Behind them, Kid can hear Kim and Jackie talking as they stoke the fire into an inferno.

Kim laughs in glee. "I haven't had this much fun in years."

"Are you really sure about that?" Jackie says.

Kim's response is cut off as the fire reaches its crescendo.

"That's our cue, move it, Kiddo!" Patti yanks Kid by the arm and the three sprint forward, jumping over the wrecked golem bodies.

Kid's mouth goes dry as he looks back to the top of the cave and finds Giriko no longer standing there. He struggles to make himself heard over the roar of the fire. "Wait-"

A loud buzzing noise interrupts him and the three scatter before the mouth of the cave, still guarded by flame.

Giriko stands in the exact spot Liz was in barely ten seconds ago. He raises his foot, the blades on his shoe grinding as they spin. "What a shame," he says. "I missed."

The smug expression on his face is wiped off by a blast of wind.

"I didn't," Patti says. She pelts him with balls of air and Giriko lets out a cry as he's lifted off his feet and slams hard into the cave's exterior.

"Come on." Kid grabs Liz and Patti by their wrists and plunges headfirst into the wall of fire, kicking up to create an opening.

They find Beelzebub huddled in a corner at the end of the cave with his face buried in the ground, moaning fearfully. The three jump as one on his back. "Patti, take the reins," Kid commands. "Liz, you clear the debris."

"Debris?" she repeats as they begin to hover. "Wh-"

Kid explains by opening a hole in the roof of the cave, sending a spray of rock into the air.

Patti doesn't waste any time, guiding Beelzebub out of the cave while the bubble of air Liz wraps around them deflects any rubble away from them.

As soon as they are clear of the cave, Kid takes the reins from Patti and steers toward the open ocean, making certain to fly directly over the beach. Liz stops bending. "Kid? The air temple's the other way."

"If Giriko sees us heading there, he's only going to repeat what he just did here over there," Kid replies. "And you see how we fared back there."

"Then where are we going?"

Kid narrows his eyes. "We're getting answers."

* * *

Mosquito surveys the wreckage on the beach, barely keeping his composure. He turns to Giriko. "You. Impulsive. Buffoon."

Giriko's scowl deepens. "I had it under control."

"This is under control?" Mosquito gestures to the scattered remains of Giriko's golems save for one and to beach, fire still smoldering in some areas. "Your golem reinforcements destroyed and the Avatar escaped, most likely under even deeper protection now. That's your idea of under control?"

"He didn't run home," Giriko growls. "I saw him flying out to the ocean."

"So now we have no idea where he is?" Mosquito thunders.

"He's headed toward Ember Island."

Mosquito squints at him. "And what makes you so certain of that?"

Giriko examines his gloves, which are thoroughly singed. "I may have let the name slip when I was threatening him. There's no way the brat won't make his way there."

Mosquito stares at Giriko, rage deflating. "For once, you have shown a stroke of brilliance." He spins on his heel. "Although it was accidental." Minutes pass as he thinks and finally he nods to himself. He turns back to Giriko. "Do you think that you are actually capable of following orders this time?"

Giriko opens his mouth angrily and then he shuts it, nodding.

From his jacket's pocket, Mosquito takes out a map, opening it. He points to a town in the mainland that isn't too far off from where they stand. "The earth chain and his guardian are staying there. Gopher is there as well. Go to him. When they leave, take the earth chain's guardian hostage."

Giriko interrupts. "Why can't we just take the boy then and there?"

"Because you simple-minded twit, how am I supposed to expect you to handle taking the chain's beast as well as the boy when you couldn't even capture a mere child?" Mosquito rolls up the map and holds it out. "Tell Gopher to lead the chain to Ember Island." He glares at Giriko. "And here's the important part: tell him that the earth chain cannot reach the island until right before the solstice. That's the earliest all the chains can be together. Do you understand?"

"I got it, I got it." Giriko snatches the map out of his hand. "Is that it?"

"No," Mosquito says. "After you capture the chain's guardian, take him to the hideout and round up the rest of your golems and have them head for Ember Island. I will give you further instructions as we proceed."

Giriko's eyes are wide. "Are you serious?"

"Do you think I've just been talking for pure enjoyment?" Mosquito grits his teeth. "You've forced our hand. We have no choice but to move now." He removes his top hat. "And now I have a million things to do for the other two chains."

"Wait," Giriko calls as Mosquito climbs on top of his hat. "What do we do with these two?"

Mosquito looks down to where Giriko's pointing, at the two girls that nearly thwarted Giriko's golems. He'd seen their talent when he had came upon the mess Giriko had made. They were powerful benders, exactly what the Order of Asura was looking for.

"Take them with you," Mosquito says after a moment. "They're sure to be fine soldiers one day."

* * *

Standing near the bow of the ship, Maka blows on her chapped hands and buries them in Blair's soft fur, raging inwardly at having to been that person who had forgotten something as vital as gloves. This trip to the North Pole had only been planned in advance for months. Of course, Spirit had immediately offered to give her a pair of his or buy her some when they had stopped at port halfway through their trip for supplies but she had resolutely refused and insisted she could do without them.

Those had been easy words to say when she had been basking in the sun's warmth in the Earth Kingdom. Now that they're in the upper echelons of the earth, where the iron cold immediately sinks into any exposed skin, she regrets them sorely.

Not enough to swallow her words and ask her father for help though. Maka juts out her lip and stuffs her hands into her sleeves, staring out at the ocean. It had been nearly three years since her mother had left, stealing away the night of Maka's thirteenth birthday. The letter by her bedside had merely said how much she loved Maka and nothing else.

But she had known. Depending on Spirit to be the husband she wanted him to be had drained away her mother. Overworking herself to be accepted by an unwilling community had broken whatever fight she had left in her. And so it had not been much of a surprise to Maka when she found Spirit, sitting at the kitchen table and staring into space. All she'd said was, "She's gone."

When he had nodded, a strange mix of relief and melancholy had twisted in her heart and she spent the rest of her day in her room with Blair. That was the first and last time she and Spirit talked about Vakirah. Any time he tried to raise the topic afterwards, she would simply fix him with a glare and refuse to speak. Eventually he had taken the hint-her mother became a taboo topic and the wall that had sprang up between them in the wake of Vakirah's absence remained in place.

That Maka put most of the blame on Spirit for it didn't help.

Yet her mother hadn't vanished completely from her life. The first letter that came with the onset of the next trading season had shocked Maka to her very core; her hands had been shaking so hard that she'd hardly been able to read it properly. From then on, letters came from Vakirah on a semi-regular basis, each one postmarked from major cities and ports all over the world. With each new letter, Maka could see more and more of the Vakirah from her childhood returning.

It filled Maka with a hollow happiness. While she didn't fault Vakirah for drawing the line, she desperately wished that line hadn't meant her leaving without her. That it had never been crossed in the first place. That she wasn't alone.

She leans against the railing, enduring the iciness of the ocean spray to distract her from her thoughts. Beside her Blair rises and hums in concern, picking up on Maka's despondency and nudging her hard in the hip. Pulling away from the railing, Maka returns the nudge and kneels down, eye to eye with Blair. "But I'm not alone, am I?"

Blair huffs in her face, enveloping her in her fishy breath.

"Ew, get away from me!" She pushes her away but Blair knocks Maka on her back, practically smothering her with her body. She laughs as Blair licks her face. "Okay, okay, I give up."

"North Pole, dead ahead!"

Maka perks up her head. "We're here?" Blair clambers off her as she pushes herself to her feet.

The ice wall guarding the capital's entrance splits an opening between the mighty ice cliffs lying on either side of the city, snowy tundra stretching beyond the city. If Maka squints, she can see the famous multi-tiered pyramid where the chief's palace as well as the villas of other high-society people are located. Sunlight bounces off the ice and snow, making the capital shimmer like a mirage.

She watches as they sail closer and closer to the city, spellbound. A hand rests on her shoulder. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

She looks up. Spirit gazes at the city for a moment before meeting her eyes. "I'm so glad you finally get to see this."

Her good mood drains away. "Yeah, me too." She shrugs off Spirit's hand and walks away, ignoring him when he calls after her.

Waterbenders appear at the top of the wall when their boat reaches the city's entrance. In one fluid movement, they raise their hands and sweep them down. The center part of the wall sinks down in response and their ship passes through.

A thick layer of ice spans the entire width of the city, divided into equal sections by narrow canals. The two sections directly in front of them appear to serve as a docking area, which appears to be currently populated by at least half of the city. The other sections seem to be its own little village with foot bridges connected to each one weaving the capital city together. At the back lies a wide space lined with buildings on its border that Maka assumes are the training grounds and healing huts. The tiered pyramid she saw from a distance comes last and she can see the ornateness of the villas in greater detail, the huge palace at the top the grandest of all.

Their ship comes smoothly to a stop and the deck comes alive with the bustling of people moving left and right as the gangway is lowered. Maka and Blair meld into the crowd waiting to step off the boat. Her chest constricts in apprehension as she and Blair slowly make their way down the gangway, fully aware that a polar lion walking at her side is an unfathomable idea to most people at best.

Her fingers twitch. _It wouldn't be a problem if she could simply tell people who she is,_ she thinks. But that wasn't possible.

After her chain with Blair had been verified by an Air nomad, a global announcement had gone out from the World Council, the council created by the four nations after Avatar Asura, that a new chain had been discovered. Shortly afterwards, Maka had been visited by an odd man dressed in patched up robes. She'd immediately recognized him as Commander Stein, one of the two people behind the defeat of Avatar Asura. He was nothing like the charismatic leader the books had made him out to be, speaking in riddles and looking at her as if he wished to pick apart her brain.

In the past, he'd explained, being a spirit chain had meant a great responsibility but now it was nothing more than her bond with Blair and a fancy title. The only thing he asked of her was to avoid revealing her identity since the general consensus of spirit chains returning was rather negative.

She had sensed there was more to the story than that but since she was still recovering from Vakirah leaving, she hadn't bothered questioning Stein's logic and agreed.

Maka swallows nervously as she and Blair begin to descend down the gangway, bracing herself for the worst. But while some of the people greeting them widen their eyes in shock when they see Blair with Maka, they make no comment nor ask any questions. She lets herself breathe a sigh of relief when she clears the gangway and cuts through the crowd with no problem.

She wends her way to where the others from the boat gathered, recognizing the Northern tribe's chief, Hartok, by his distinctive bald head. Spirit and the rest of the chiefs from the Southern tribe are already standing next to him and conversing. Next to the chief, she sees his son, Ox, equally as bald save for the lightning shaped spikes on either side of his head.

Choking back a laugh, she swerves as she nearly runs into someone. "Sorry," she mumbles.

"No problem," the stranger answers back.

Maka freezes, heart leaping into her throat. She's heard that voice too many times in her dreams to not recognize it. She snaps her head in the voice's direction, spying a head of white hair as it disappears into the crowd. "Hey!" she calls. She tries to break into a run but the thickening throng of people effectively blocks her way.

Gritting her teeth, she elbows her way through, heading in the direction the stranger went in. She calls out again when the crowd begins to thin. "Hey! You with the white hair!"

His voice comes from somewhere behind her. "Yes?"

Maka whirls around and runs straight into a burly man with an eye patch over one eye. Her hands windmill wildly as she topples forward.

A hand catches her before she falls onto the ground. "You all right there?" the same voice asks.

Maka looks up eagerly, heart hammering against her chest. "Yes, I-" She cuts herself off. The white-haired boy standing in front of her looks strikingly similar to the boy in her dreams but he's not him. He's clearly older than Maka and his eyes are blue rather than red.

And as she listens to it, even his voice has a different cadence to it, she realizes. Her shoulders slump involuntarily.

"Not who you thought I was?" he asks lightly, letting go of her arm.

"I thought you were someone I knew but I guess I just got too caught for a minute there." Maka feels her face heat up. "I'm sorry."

"No harm, no foul." He smiles, revealing a set of perfectly normal teeth and crushing whatever hope Maka had left. "Though I wonder how many people you know with white hair." He gives his own hair a tug. "Not very common." He gestures toward Blair. "Though girls who own polar lions aren't that typical either yet here you are."

Maka returns a nervous smile, unsure how to explain Blair or that the only white-haired boy she knew most likely only existed in her head.

"Wes!"

The boy, who was apparently Wes, looks past Maka and grins. "And here comes my little brother Soul to prove me wrong."

At the name, her eyes widen and her hands go lax in shock.

"It's not that hard," says the voice belonging to Wes' brother in a deadpan, right behind them. "Who's this?"

"Hey, Soul. This is-" Wes falters, giving Maka a questioning look.

"Maka," she fills in. She turns around and feels the world grind to a halt as she meets a pair of crimson eyes underneath a head of white hair.

The words fall from her lips like rain. "I know you."

* * *

The ballroom of Chief Hartok's palace is beautiful. Chandeliers carved from ice drip down from the ceiling while elegant couples sweep across the dance floor. Four long tables line its border, laden with food.

Maka watches the dancers from where she leans against the staircase's railing on the second floor of the ballroom, which serves as a lounge for those taking a break from the dancing. Right now, she's the only one up here.

In spite of how she felt about her father, she has tried her best to be sociable during the dinner and subsequent dancing. Chief Hartok's son, Ox, had claimed her for most of the dances and proved to be as unfortunate as his hair. The smug air he carried as he spoke about everything as if he knew everything and the way he dismissed her words with a patronizing simper was absolutely insufferable.

She hadn't even been able to enjoy the dancing, having finally met a person who was worse at it than she was. She had seized her chance for revenge when he excused himself for a glass of water after their fifth dance and glued his tongue to the roof of his mouth. She had allowed herself to enjoy the look of sheer panic on his face before disappearing upstairs.

The glow of her victory fades as she spies Wes dancing below. Her face flushes as she looks for his brother, sighing in relief when she doesn't find him. She backs away from the railing and pressing herself against a window to cool her burning face.

Needless to say, Soul hadn't recognized her, looking more than shocked that a complete stranger claimed to know who he was. And Blair hadn't made matters easier by abruptly leaping on Soul and attempting to lick his face off. Maka had been dragging her off of Soul, apologies tripping out of her mouth, when Spirit suddenly appeared. In that moment, she had never been more grateful for his existence. Upon successfully hauling Blair off of Soul, she'd dragged her embarrassment of a cat and father away, brushing off Spirit's questions and leaving two very confused brothers behind.

She had hoped to see neither of them again but clearly the universe had other ideas.

Maka glances toward the ballroom. Then she makes up her mind and unlocks the window-she didn't want to be here and there was no way she was risking running into either brother. The brisk wind snaps at her hands as she climbs onto the ledge with some difficulty, her robes more form-fitting than usual for tonight's welcoming celebration. She swivels her head from side to side, making sure she's alone.

Satisfied, she pulls her arms up and the snow resting in piles at the bottom of the palace rise and reshape themselves into stairs.

She takes them two at a time, running fast to nowhere.

* * *

The ice of her scythe burns against Maka's skin but she ignores it, taking a few practice swings against invisible enemies, snow of the ice cliffs she stands on crunching under her feet.

"That's a pretty fancy trick."

Maka yelps, dropping the scythe. She spins around to find Soul standing behind her. She opens her mouth and closes it, hoping it's dark enough that he can't see the embarrassment painted all over her face.

He gestures to the scythe. "I've never seen a waterbender do that before."

"It's something I came up with after seeing one of my friends fight," Maka says, ducking down to pick it up. "Her family are warriors and she's one of the best." She tosses the scythe from one hand to another nervously, sure he's going to bring up their earlier encounter.

His focus, however, is elsewhere. "Your dad is Spirit, isn't he?"

"That's right," she says cautiously.

"He acts a lot differently than your uncle," Soul comments. His expression immediately changes from composed to mortified. "Sorry, I didn't mean to remin-"

"It's okay," Maka interrupts. "It's been a while since the accident."

"If you say so." He runs his hand through his hair, shuffling awkwardly. "Party get boring for you too?"

"In a way." Maka gives Soul a onceover, the dark robes he wears standing out against his skin. "A couple people were being intolerable."

His grin pokes at her. "Enough to freeze their tongue to their mouths?"

She buries her face in her hands. "You saw that?"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to tell," he says, waving a gloved hand. "I've wished I could do that to Ox plenty of times."

She gives him a relieved smile. "You're not a bender then."

Something locks in his expression and then it melts. He nods. "Yeah, neither is Wes."

"And from the way you talk about Ox, it sounds like you know him personally," she guesses, taking a few steps towards him.

"See that over there?" Soul points to a villa in the second tier of the pyramid, second only in grandiosity to the chief's palace. "That's my family's place."

Maka raises her eyebrows. "What do your parents do exactly?"

"Mom works in the trading business and Dad advises the chief," he answers.

"Sounds like they're pretty busy." She glances at him. "You get out much?"

"It's ironic but I'm not really a fan of slowly freezing to death." He shrugs once. "And Wes is home most of the time so it's not like I don't have company."

"But do you have any friends?" She regrets the words as soon as they come out of her mouth. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way."

"It's fine," Soul says, coming closer. "And besides Ox, there isn't many people our age around here."

"Well, I could see why you'd prefer to be alone then," Maka quips. She turns serious. "But you know, it still seems lonely."

"I don't really mind being alone," Soul says. He turns to stare at the ocean before shuddering.

"Scared of the ocean?"

He hesitates. "Something like that."

Silence descends between them as Soul continues to gaze at the ocean. Behind him, Maka fidgets before letting the scythe fall back into snow. "I guess I should go now."

Soul turns, eyes focused on her face. For a second, she wants to say that she sees a glimmer of recognition there, running from deeper than their meeting today. He blinks and it's gone. "The party's probably gonna not end for another hour or so. You were here first so I'll go."

"It's all right if you stay," Maka says quickly. She pulls her hand upward, the scythe reforming again. "I'm just going to be practicing." She gives a look out of the corner of her eyes. "Though it might not be as exciting as spying on people."

"I'm just a good observer and parties are the best place to employ my skills," he says, taking a spot on a rock in front of her. "But this is much more interesting."

Maka snorts and begins again with her warm-up. As she gets into the swing of her routine, he calls out a question. "I didn't know the Southern tribe taught their female benders to fight. Even when Asura tried to take over the world, the Southern tribe refused to let them join Commander Stein's army."

Maka misses a step. She couldn't tell him that she used her position as a chain to convince Spirit to allow her to train as a fighter and healer. "Well, the fight with Asura was so far off from the Southern tribe that they didn't see the reason to adapt like the North did," she says carefully, raising the scythe above her head. "Plus, the South wasn't as connected as the Northern tribe was back then. Healers were needed in every village."

She slices it down in a graceful arc and there is a thunk as the ice cuts through the ice and buries itself into the permafrost underneath. She looks up and smiles. "But as you can see, things have started to change."

* * *

Maka rubs her hands together as she and Soul walk down the cliffs together, a comfortable silence permeating between them.

Soul glances at her and then down at her hands. "I don't think your hands are supposed to be that color."

"Really? I had no idea," she replies as the path leading back down to the chief's palace narrows sharply. They have to walk so close their shoulders brush against each other with every step.

He waggles a hand at her. "Gloves are things that exist."

"I know, but I forgot mine at home." She sighs and shoves her hands in her sleeves. "I'll buy a pair tomorrow."

"Oh," he says, going quiet. He seems to struggle with himself for a moment and then he takes off his gloves and holds them out to her. "Here, take them."

She protests, "And what about your hands?"

"I wasn't the one holding freezing ice in my hands for the past hour. I'll be fine."

She shakes her head. "I can't."

"You mean you won't," he says, waving the gloves in front of her.

Maka sees fur lining the insides and for an instant, her conviction wavers. She gives her head a vigorous shake. "It's the same difference." She bats his hand away. "It's fine. Tomorrow I'll have my own pair."

"Yes, but does that help you now?" Soul pushes them back toward Maka. "_Take them."_

She pushes them right back.

"You're about to get frostbite, if you haven't already. Do you really want to get a few fingers amputated because of your stubbornness?" He makes a exaggerated slicing motion with his hand that makes Maka roll her eyes.

"If you think I'm stubborn, you should have met my friend Black Star," she retorts. "He puts a hog-monkey's pigheadedness to shame."

"And obviously, he rubbed off on you or you on him," Soul says crossly. "Just put them on, Maka."

It's the wind that blows right past them, cutting into her hands, that does her in. "Fine," she grumbles. "Give them here."

"A thank you is generally how this works," Soul says, handing them over. Their fingers brush against each other as she takes them and there's no mistaking the spark of recognition Maka sees in Soul's face.

She pulls them on and sighs contentedly, the fur inside the gloves just as soft as it looked. "They're warm. Thanks."

Soul flinches, as if coming out of a trance. He blinks a few times before giving a small smile. "I'm glad you like them."

The path widens but they don't drift away from each other. "Will you be here tomorrow?" Maka asks abruptly.

"Maybe," Soul answers. "Why?"

"So I can return these without my papa finding out," Maka answers. "He won't react well if he finds out they're from a boy."

"Will he also disinfect for cooties?"

"Of course not." Maka smacks his arm lightly. "Probably."

Soul snickers and then sobers. "Don't come if you just want to return them. I won't take them," he says. "Consider it a welcoming gift."

Maka purses her lips, deciding not to fight it. "And if I came for other reasons?"

The palace looms in front of them as they step off the path. Maka glances at Soul and is surprised to see a light blush spreading across his face. "Soul?"

He clears his throat. "Yeah, that's fine."

"So you'll be there?"

"Probably."

At that moment, Spirit's voice rings out from somewhere within the palace, wailing Maka's name.

"Why can't he act dignified for once in his life?" Maka grits her teeth while Soul laughs again. "I'd better stop him before he embarrasses himself any further." She lifts her hands and a staircase of snow molds itself to a wall. "Good night, Soul."

"Wait."

Maka pauses on the first stair. Soul wears a conflicted look on his face. "Earlier today. How did you know me?"

Her face reddens. "You just looked like someone I knew. I did the same thing with your brother. Obviously, I was wrong on both counts."

"No, you sounded too sure of yourself," he says, crossing his arms.

"It was just a simple mistake," she insists.

"Please?"

Maka fights with herself for several moments. She stares at the space just above his head. "You're going to think it's weird."

"Have you taken a good look at me?" he said, grinning. "I try to judge weird differently than most people."

"Fair point," she relents. She fixes him with a look. "But you have to promise not to laugh."

"I won't."

"Okay." She takes a deep breath. "I've seen you in my dreams."

True to his word, Soul doesn't laugh, expression unchanged. Then he says, "Well, that's the first time I've had that line used on me."

"It's the truth!" The snowball she hurls at him hits him squarely in the chest. She adds hotly, "And if I _was _lying, I would have used a much better line than that!"

"Like what?"

"I-" Maka flounders, mind going blank. "Just better ones." She crosses her arms. "Anyways, that's not where I meant to go with this conversation."

"You're right," Soul says. "So what happened in these dreams of yours?" He raises his hands up hastily as she whips up another snowball. "I don't mean anything else by that!"

Maka lets the snowball fall with a splat. "You came towards the end and you were always doing the same thing," Maka replies. She hesitates.

"And that was?" Soul presses.

Spirit calls her name again, sounding even more like an elephant-seal than before. She begins walking up the steps backwards and doesn't speak until she's at the top of the stairs. "You were riding a dragon."

She spins around and opens the window. "Good night, Soul."

It's not until she's drifting off into sleep later that night, Blair's purring body right beside that Maka realizes that the loneliness she's felt since her mother left has slightly loosened its grip on her heart.

* * *

As she jogs up the path to the ice cliffs early the next morning, Blair at her side, Maka realizes that she had never gotten a real answer from Soul on whether they'd be meeting or not.

_If he's there, fine,_ she thinks. _And if he's not, then that's also fine. _Still, her heart drops to her stomach when she rounds the last corner and she finds no one waiting for her. Blair breaks away from her to bound happily in the snow. "It's fine," she says, watching Blair sprint across the tundra. "It's completely fine."

"There is nothing fine about waking up this early."

Maka's eyes widen and she turns around.

Soul wears an expression of utter discontent, huddling in robes of dark blue. His snowy hair is much more messier than it was for yesterday's feast. He squints at her sleepily. "Why the long face?"

She smiles sheepishly. "When I didn't see you, I thought you decided not to come."

"The sun literally rose minutes ago." He stifles back a yawn. "I should still be sleeping."

She tilts her head to one side. "Then how are you here?"

"Serendipity." Soul lets out an "umph" as Blair takes notice of his presence and crashes into him, barely keeping his balance. "My room has a window with a pretty good view of the path to the cliffs. And Wes decided it was the perfect time to try out his new violin. I saw you heading up here and decided I better not make a fool of myself." He eyes her while futilely attempting to keep Blair from licking his face. "I hope you brought breakfast because I'm missing it."

Maka laughs. "I'm sure if you ask nicely, Blair will catch you something. She's already treating you like one of her cubs."

"Very funny."

* * *

Free shivers in the darkness of the cave he's calling home now. Of all the chains he could have tracked and he was forced to track the one who lived where you started to freeze if you stood in one place for too long. He plucks at the eye patch he was forced to wear over his cursed eye. It annoyed him to no end but not wearing would cause more problems than irritation. As it was it had been a close call when the chain had nearly ran into him earlier. Luckily, the girl had seemed more occupied with other things than taking notice of him.

He starts to arrange the wood he stole earlier into a fire pit, cursing the cold occasionally. One thousand years he'd spent in that spirit jail but at least it had been warm. In fact, the more he thinks about the more he thinks that coming to this world had been the worst decision he'd ever made. As soon as he stepped into this world, it had been a constant string of bad luck. First, his benefactor had been imprisoned in the same jail he helped Free escape from in a cruel twist of irony. Then he spent thirteen years on the run, having to take orders from an old man who didn't even reach his waist.

And now this. Slowly freezing to death while tracking a teenage girl.

"Fancy seeing you here."

Free starts and jerks around. He recognizes the silver hair peeking out from under the intruder's hood. "Eruka?"

She rubbed her arms, drawing closer. "Unfortunately."

"I thought you were with Gopher," Free says.

"Mosquito sent a parrot-frog for me. I'm going to be playing messenger between him and everyone else for a while," she says with a grimace. "Listening to his voice almost makes me miss Medusa." She rounds her shoulders. "Anyways, there's been a change in plans."

He frowns. "The last time I spoke to Mosquito, he said that everything was going smoothly and that absolutely no deviations were allowed."

"Yes, but that was before Giriko acted out on another one of impulses today," she answers. "Only this one affects us all. Everything's been sped up."

This news pleases Free. "If that means getting out of this frozen wasteland sooner than I thought then I may just have to thank Giriko myself."

"You'll get your chance," Eruka says wryly. "He's coming for you and the girl in a month."

"Really?"

She nods. "We're not waiting anymore. Summer solstice is the day of reckoning now."

"But that's only two months away." He furrows his brow. "Will Asura be free by then?"

"That's on the Gorgon sisters." Eruka shrugs. "I personally don't care one way or another. After the solstice, I'll be free from having to do anyone's dirty work and be far far away from here."

He raises an imaginary glass. "Cheers."


	5. Chapter 5

10,203 A.A.-Seven weeks until the Summer Solstice

* * *

The small inn of the modestly prosperous town of Loew was by no means like the hotels of Ba Sing Se but it had its charms. Such as not being constantly being rocked by waves.

Black Star's stomach turns just thinking back to the two weeks he spent on the boat traveling up the Earth Kingdom's coast. Shadow hadn't liked it either, restless and constantly sniffing for the fresh smell of earth. But as Sid had explained to Black Star and Tsubaki (who had volunteered to help with this latest trading expedition of Sid's), traveling by sea was a lot faster than traveling over land. It had been a kindness for Spirit to offer them, as kin of Nygus, a place on his boat as he headed to the North Pole with Maka and his council.

And with the special arrangements offered that allowed Shadow to come along, the chance to finally leave town for a while had made the offer all but impossible to turn down.

He hoists himself from the bed and begins to pack his bags. Seeing Maka again for the first time in three years was something he had looked forward to but she had changed in the nearly three years since they last saw each other, closed off and not too interested in talking about them being spirit chains.

Which wasn't too surprising, Tsubaki had reminded him when he had mentioned it to her, seeing as the night she became a chain had also been the night her mother left.

He had made sure to avoid the subject after that and in the week they had spent together, she had seemed to cheer up. The animal she had bonded with, a saber toothed polar lion called Blair, had warmed up nicely with Shadow, preferring to spend her time below deck with the badgermole when she wasn't by Maka's side. It had helped with Shadow's nerves and stopped her from rampaging when the ocean got rough.

There's a rap on the door. "Get a move on, Black Star!" Sid calls. "I told Nygus in my last letter we'd be home in two weeks and I'm not the kind of man to go back on my word."

"Coming!" Hastily, Black Star shoves the rest of his things into his bag. When he leaves his room, Sid is no longer outside his door. He finds him waiting outside in front of the inn with Tsubaki, who is pulling her hair into a ponytail.

She greets him with a smile. "Seems like someone slept in."

"A mighty earthbender such as me needs all the rest I can get."

"Or you could go to bed instead of running around with Shadow the whole night." Sid looks up from the map he was studying. "The forest surrounding Loew is pretty thick but this path here is wide enough for Shadow to navigate." He gestures toward the trail a ways from the inn. "If we move fast enough, we should make it to the next town before lunch."

They've been walking in the forest for hours when Tsubaki is the one who finally speaks up. She examines the map, which she now holds. "Are you sure that map is accurate, Sid?"

"I just bought it yesterday," Sid replies. "Fresh from the mapmakers in Ba Sing Se."

Tsubaki frowns. "Either this map is wrong..." She looks up, staring at the path they walk on. "Or the trail is changing."

Her words prompt Black Star to scan the area around him with his bending. "There's no one else here but us."

"Why don't we take a break?" Sid suggests. He looks at Shadow, loaded with all the merchandise Sid had bought. "It's time for lunch anyways and Shadow needs a rest from carrying all that."

Black Star and Tsubaki unload Shadow while Sid takes out the leftover food Nygus packed for them. Before he sits down to eat, he takes out a canteen of water for Shadow, stroking her head as she drinks. She wasn't suited to traveling above ground for long periods of time yet she had carried all of their baggage without a single complaint.

He joins Tsubaki and Sid once Shadow has had her fill. They eat in silence before something dawns on him. He turns to Tsubaki. "This is the furthest you've been away from home."

She laughs. "You realize that now?" Her expression turns contemplative. "It took a lot of convincing on my parents' part. They were okay when I would go to the South Pole with you and Nygus because that's fairly close." The light in her expression dims. "But they were extremely reluctant to let me go so close to where they lost my brother." She hugs her knees to her chest. "I told them they had to stop being afraid and trust me not to repeat my brother's mistakes." Her eyes grow distant. "I'm not going to be a better fighter by staying close to home."

"You're the only person who has ever beaten me," Black Star offers helpfully. "That already makes you pretty great."

Tsubaki gives Black Star an amused smile. "You were twelve when I beat you, nowhere near where you are today."

"Not that far off though," he counters.

The ground behind them explodes as Tsubaki opens her mouth to answer.

Black Star moves reflexively, rolling with the shockwave of the blast to propel himself upright and bend a wall of earth over them. He plants his feet and tenses for the next attack but it doesn't come. Through the dust cloud the explosion kicked up, he sees the outline of Tsubaki pulling out her chain scythes while Sid draws his dagger from its sheath.

"You two all right?" Sid calls.

"Yes," Black Star and Tsubaki answer in unison.

Cautiously, Sid peeks out from behind the wall. "I can't see anything. What do you see, Black Star?"

He presses his hand against the ground and senses a massive being under the ground. Somehow it doesn't feel alive. In front of it walk two people. "Enemies both above and below." His eyebrows furrow. The vibrations given off by one of the people is strange, nothing like he's ever felt before. "A couple of them aren't human."

"Human is such an arbitrary definition," a rough voice calls from behind the wall. "So many ways you can label it."

A sulky voice joins in. "This was supposed to be my fight."

"Shut up, weasel," the other voice growls. "Can't you see I was just getting into it?"

"You're talking too loud. It's hurting my ears," the voice grumbles. "And my name is Gopher."

There's the sound of a fist hitting skin. "You don't know when to shut your hole, do you?"

Tsubaki and Black Star exchange a tense look. He touches the earth again, trying to get a better sense of what kind the gigantic being they're facing is but to his surprise, the vibrations it was giving off vanished.

"Who are you?" Sid calls out, tightening his grip on the dagger. "We have no quarrel with you."

"I don't know if I'd be too sure of that." The wild voice laughs. "But who we are makes no difference to you."

"But I thought we were supposed to tell them we were from the Order of Asura," Gopher says with a pained grunt.

"You idiot!"

Black Star's heart plummets to his stomach.

Sid moves rapidly, shoving his dagger back in its sheath and grabbing Black Star and Tsubaki. He pushes them toward Shadow. "You need to get out of here."

From underneath them, the ground rumbles again as it starts to split open.

"Shadow, dive!" Black Star jerks his hands to the side, throwing them out of the way before a fissure breaks open the earth they were standing on. He and Sid land hard on their sides but Tsubaki manages to land on her feet. He hears the clink of scythes as he struggles back to his feet. "What is that thing?" Tsubaki exclaims.

In front of the three stands the creature. It looks to be crafted from earthen bricks, at least twenty feet tall. Yet when Black Star tries to bend the bricks, nothing happens. Its skull-like face is blank, watching his fruitless attempts calmly.

"Golems," Sid says flatly. He throws a strained look around them. "He's here."

"Who's here?" Tsubaki asks tersely. "Have you seen these before?"

"There was a weapons welder named Giriko sixteen years ago," Sid says, staring at the golem. "He had a special affinity for the earth. Everything he made felt like it held a tiny spark of life and it's what made him the one of the best weapon makers." His voice hardened. "But when Asura attacked, he pledged himself to him and joined Stein's army under his orders. During the battle that sealed away Asura, he set loose a battalion of those golems on his regiment. It nearly turned the battle in Asura's favor."

"Just barely a week ago, someone else looked at me with that same face," Giriko says casually, appearing on the top of the head of his creation. "People just seem unable to get over that."

"You're supposed to be dead," Sid hisses.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Giriko grins. "But enough chat." He leaps from the golem as it lurches forward.

"No!" Sid drags back Black Star, who is preparing to send a chunk of earth the golem's way. "You're not fighting!"

"Are you really going to make this so easy for me, Sid?" Giriko drawls, still standing where he landed. He doesn't move as Sid drags a struggling Black Star out of sight, Tsubaki following. "I'm not having any fun at all!"

"There's no way we're getting out of here without a fight!" Black Star exclaims as they come to a halt.

"Yes, there is," Sid says grimly.

At that moment, Shadow pops her head out of the ground, growling anxiously. Tsubaki keeps her eyes on the slowly approaching golem but spares a glance at Shadow. "Sid, there's no way that Shadow can carry all three of us."

"I know that," Sid replies.

"No way!" A small crack appears in the earth from how forcefully Black Star shouts. "That's not happening."

"It is," Sid says. "Because if the Order of Asura gets their hands on you, that is the beginning of the end of this world."

A flashback to nearly two years ago plays in Black Star's mind. If he had acted differently on that day, told Sid and Nygus about it, this could have been avoided. His hands shake before clenching them into fists. "You can't make me leave."

Sid looks to Tsubaki. "Please."

Her eyes widen and she looks from Sid to Black Star, conflicting emotions warring on her face.

"You'd better not, Tsubaki," Black Star warns.

She bites her lip, continuing to wear a torn expression. Then, she looks at Sid. "I'm sorry." She lunges toward Black*Star, striking him powerfully on the head. He feels jabs elsewhere on his body, locking his limbs in place.

As he sinks into darkness, he hears Tsubaki speak. "I'm so sorry."

* * *

His body comes back to him in pieces. An eyelid flutters while a finger twitches, his head pounding with an unforgiving tenacity. His lips part and expel the breath from his lungs. The last thing that returns to Black Star is the weight of his existence, sitting squarely on his heart.

He pulls back from the darkness with a groan. He tries to speak but his words come out in a jumbled mess.

"Don't fight it." Tsubaki's voice sounds like it's traveled miles to reach his ears. "Just breathe."

He struggles for a minute before listening, feeling the quiet rise and fall of his chest. By degrees, he regains control of his limbs. He opens his eyes.

Tsubaki and Shadow look down on him anxiously. "How are you feeling?"

Bits and pieces of memories drop down on Black Star. "I..." he trails off as a particularly vivid image flashes across his mind. "You knocked me out." He sits up suddenly. "Sid!"

Tsubaki tries to calm him. "He knew what he was doing Black Star. If he hadn't done what he did, then we'd probably all be captured by now."

"And what do you think they'll do to Sid?" he snaps. "They have no use for him. They wanted me, not him." Mosquito's words echo in his mind. _You've made your choice. And when you regret it, remember this day. _He leaps to his feet. "I should have said something, I should have told them."

Tsubaki frowns. "What are you talking about?"

"Two year ago, one of them came." He strides around the small clearing like a caged animal. "He asked me to join them but I refused."

"And you told no one?"

"They never returned and I knew I could handle it if they did." He looks down at the tattoos encircling his wrists. "But once again, people chose for me."

"People that care about you," Tsubaki says angrily. "And what do you think you're going to do now? Throw away Sid's sacrifice?"

"Are you suggesting we just go back home like nothing happened?"

Tsubaki clenches her jaw, drawing herself to her full height. Then she slumps her shoulders. She repeats her question quietly, "What do you think you're going to do now?"

"I don't know." He wants to punch something; he has never felt helpless before. "I don't know."

* * *

Gopher chews on his lip as he treks through the tunnel the earth chain's badgermole escaped in. His jaw is still sore from where Giriko struck him. His palms tingle with anger-he'd longed to hit Giriko back but that would have given the chance for their objective to escape.

And that was not what Noah would have wanted. At the thought of his former master, his eyes fill with tears. Gopher wipes his eyes furiously. Crying wasn't going to be Noah back. Revenge was the only way to avenge his name.

He presses on, moving faster when he sees light coming from the end of the tunnel. He pauses when he reaches it. His supersensitive hearing (a gift from Noah) picks up on raised voices about a quarter mile away. He listens hard and then he grins, waiting until the voices fade away.

Plucking a badly burned book from his pocket, he flips through it. If there's one good thing about Noah's fate, it's that the spirit didn't see how destroyed his precious book of spirit magic had become. Most of the spells that had survived in the Book of Eibon from Asura's doomed battle were trivial. But there were a few that were exceedingly useful. He snaps the book shut after murmuring a few words and moves quickly, climbing onto a tree and jumping lithely. With his hearing, he positions himself in Black Star's path.

He waits until he and his companion are right above him before he calls out. "You."

The chain's head snaps up. "Who's there? Where are you?"

"I'm right here," Gopher says smugly, watching as Black Star's eyes pass over him.

"It's an undetection spell," the chain's companion says. "You won't be able to see or sense him until he lifts it."

"Very good," Gopher approves. "Tsubaki, right? Of the Nakatsukasa clan?" he asks.

"Yes," she answers, clearly surprised. "How did you know that?"

"The Order of Asura has spies planted everywhere," Gopher answers. "But the resemblance to your brother is too striking to miss."

She stiffens.

"Masamune also had a sensitivity to the spirit world and other such things." He sniffs. "A shame he was too greedy." He watches the pain twist on the Tsubaki's face. Beside him, Black Star jabs a finger in his direction and his badgermole growls. "Don't talk about him to her, you scum!"

"Wouldn't that have made her brother scum as well?" Gopher laughs as he dodges the rock Black Star lobs at him.

Tsubaki grabs his wrist, staying him. "It's fine. You're only egging him on."

"You're right." Black*Star narrows his eyes. "Let's go."

"Don't you want to know where Sid is being taken?" Gopher calls.

The earth chain freezes in his tracks. "And why would you tell us that?"

"It's a trap," Gopher says honestly. "You and I both know you won't believe anything else I say. But this is your one and only chance to rescue Sid."

"I don't need help from a coward like you to find Sid," he snarls.

"Giriko can use spirit magic," Gopher says. "How else do you think he can make those golems of his? Asura changed him when he crossed over." He sniffs. "Of course, it's very limited what he can do, seeing as his spiritual abilities were chiefly nonexistent, but it's enough for him to use one of my undetection spells." He finishes, "If you don't take this opportunity, you will never find Sid. And what will you tell Nygus then?"

Black Star's hands ball into fists and he falls silent for minutes.

"Fine." He says the word with a deadly calm and turns around. "But the moment I find Sid, I'm coming for you and everyone else."

"Duly noted." Gopher raises the undetection spell from himself. "If you try to lay a finger on me before that, I will leave and the deal's off," he warns.

"That won't happen," Tsubaki promises.

The compressed anger on Black*Star's face slackens. "I-"

"If you go, I go," Tsubaki replies simply. "You won't change my mind."

Black*Star closes his mouth. He looks at Gopher. "Lead the way."


	6. Chapter 6

10,203 A.A.-Six weeks until the Summer Solstice

* * *

For the first time in the two weeks since they started meeting, Soul gets to the ice cliffs earlier than Maka. The sun creeps over the horizon as he pulls out the containers holding their breakfast-tentacle soup for him, seaweed soup for her and seal jerky for Blair. It's amusing to him that they've somehow fallen into the pattern of bringing breakfast for the other without even discussing it.

He checks that he's alone before heating the containers with his bending. He sets Maka's soup and Blair's jerky on the rock Maka claimed as her own, marveling once again at the fact that someone who has lived their entire life surrounded by the ocean absolutely despises seafood.

Taking up his own spot and waits for Blair to announce their presence by bounding up from behind and tackling him to the ground. Although he grumbled about snow ending up in places they shouldn't be each time, truthfully, he didn't mind. When he was around Maka and Blair, he temporarily forgot about the painful tug-of-war on his soul, a brief rest from the storm raging inside him.

His stomach rumbles impatiently as the time ticks away and there is still no sign of Maka or Blair. He doesn't begin to worry until the sun is high in the sky and he is still alone. Giving into his hunger, Soul eats his soup but tastes none of it, queasiness tying his stomach into knots. He replays yesterday in his mind, trying to see if he did anything that could have angered Maka. Admittedly, they couldn't make much further than an hour without bickering but it was always trivial and ended as quickly as it started.

He stares out at the sky, a cold dread replacing the anxious feeling in his stomach. Maybe it had been nothing at all. Maybe it was just Maka realizing there were better things to do with her time. Immediately, the rational side of his mind berates him for thinking such a thing; even if it was true, she wasn't the person to do something like that without an explanation. But the other part of him, the side that shuns logic, nags at him.

As a personal guest of Chief Hartok, Maka was only able to spend the few hours between breakfast and lunch with him before she had to join her father for various engagements around the city. Soul couldn't stay for much longer than that either, unless he wanted to arouse the suspicion of Wes or his parents for disappearing for too long.

_And what exactly had they done during these two weeks that was worth her time?_ Soul ponders. They would occasionally descend into the city to pull harmless pranks but for the most part, they just talked while Maka practiced her bending. Outside of that, they hadn't ran into each other, except when his family had dined with Chief Hartok last week and the most they were able to do then were exchange waves.

He had thought there was a difference in the way she acted around him versus how she behaved with others but maybe he'd been wrong. He gives his head a shake. There was no use in running his mind in endless circles on things he couldn't change.

And yet he keeps ruminating on it until it's time for him to leave.

Soul tells himself he's not stalling for time as he packs up, wrapping the containers with slow and careful precision. He's looking behind himself one last time, making sure for the tenth time that he hasn't forgotten anything or that the flash of snow in the distance isn't actually Blair's tail, when the entire world plunges itself in darkness.

"No, not now," he says, dropping the containers. "No, no, no."

He nearly screams when the fire in his veins comes back to life. It stokes itself to unbearable heights in one fell swoop, as if an inferno ignited from within, while the pull on his being makes Soul feel like he's being raked across coals. He collapses to the ground and stuffs his hand in his mouth to keep himself from making a sound, willing himself to be silent and still. The more he moves, the sooner it will find him. And maybe if it doesn't then he might just be able to wait this vision out.

A distant roar quashes his hope. "It's not real," he whispers in vain, watching orange flame light in his path. Except it is. Maka's words the day they met had confirmed that.

The dragon charges at him with its mouth opened wide.

His nails dig in his skin. "It's not real."

The dragon swallows him whole.

* * *

It's the presence of the continued fire in his veins that wakes Soul up. It screams at him to run but thankfully he's too drained to move. He grits his teeth, feeling his body lying spread-eagle in the snow. The cold is almost as painful as the fire but it brings a sharp clarity to his mind. He sucks in deep breath in and out, keeping his eyes closed.

He had been able to see the dragon's face this time. Even as it had bared its fangs and readied to attack him, he had thought he'd seen a desperateness in its eyes, a plea for help.

Maka's words echo in his ears.

_You were riding a dragon._

Was this the dragon she had been talking about? Did that mean everything he had gone through for nearly three years was not just a fabrication of his imagination? And if it was true, then what was her connection? The questions keep piling up and prod at his brain until he wants to explode. He presses his hands to his eyes until he sees stars. This is too much for one person to endure. This is too much for him to handle.

"Why are you lying on the ground?'

His eyes fly open to see Maka inches from his face. Her green eyes, vivid against the grey blue of the sky, look at him in concern. "Maka?"

"Clearly." She pulls herself back, brushing off the snow on his head. "Did you fall?"

"Yeah...I tripped over a rock." Soul pushes himself into a sitting position, the temporary respite her presence gives him shoving everything to the back of his mind. He looks at her. "What took you so long?" He cringes inwardly, aware his words are those of a sulky child.

"Sorry about that," she says apologetically. "Papa forced me go with him to the palace today." She makes a face. "I had to be Ox's companion all morning."

The relief from her words is heady. "Bet that was entertaining," he says. "I wish I could have seen that."

"I'm not sure me slowly losing my mind resisting the urge to freeze Ox in a block of ice counts as entertaining."

"Highly."

She smiles. "Well, you would have at least made tolerating Ox a lot easier so I wish you'd been there too."

"Glad to hear that." He glances at her. "You have to go soon?"

"Yeah." Her smile fades. "You?'

"Yeah." They lapse into silence, neither of them moving from their spots. Maka's so close to Soul that he can feel the warmth emanating from her. Behind them, he can hear Blair romping around in the snow. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees a glint of gold in Maka's hair.

He takes a closer look, seeing two gold feathers cross-linked together, tiny emeralds studded all over. "What's that in your hair?"

"Gift from my mother," Maka answers. "It got lost in my luggage and I barely found it today. I thought it was never going to turn up." She touches the pin, as if to make sure it's still there.

"Now that you bring it up, why haven't I seen your mother?" Soul asks. "I don't think I saw her at that dinner last week."

Maka deflates, shoulders hunching. "No, you wouldn't have," she says after a beat. "She left around three years ago."

"Oh." He grasps for something to say. "I'm sorry."

"It was for the best," Maka says simply. "She and my father weren't happy." She tugs on a ponytail. "She just wasn't happy with her life, in general."

The quiet resignation in her voice pains Soul. "Do you know where she went?"

She shakes her head. "From the letters she's sent, it looks like she's traveling around the world."

"Do you think she'll come back?"

"There's plenty of people she probably never wants to see again and my father is one of them. I know she loves me but I don't know if that's enough for her to come back." The last sentence escapes from her in a whisper. She straightens up, adding quickly, "That doesn't make her a bad person though. She just wanted to be free." She sighs. "I just miss her a lot."

Soul nods but says nothing, frowning. Freedom he could understand but leaving behind your child behind wasn't as easy to get. But he can feel her waiting for a response so he says the first thing that enters his mind. "Well, I'm here."

He trips over his words to correct himself. "I know I'm not your mother, I mean it's kinda physically impossible for me to be your mother but-"

Mercifully, Maka stops his rambling, touching his hand. "Thank you, Soul." She surprises him by laughing. "This is the most I've talked to anyone about this and it feels nice."

"I'm always here to listen," he says, meeting her eyes.

"I know." Maka begins to say something else but her gaze drops down to their hands, which still touching. She pulls her hand away, looking embarrassed. "I guess we'd better go," she says, turning around to look for Blair.

When they reach the city, they pause before parting.

"See you tomorrow?" Maka asks.

Soul looks up from petting Blair. The fire in his vein already begins to burn dully, as if in anticipation of her leaving. "I'll be waiting."

* * *

Gopher looks at the small box the parrot-frog spat at him. "But why?"

Eruka's voice testily answers him from the parrot-frog. "Because the Avatar is moving too quickly towards Ember Island and you're closest to him. Because someone needs to watch the hostages and everyone else is too busy getting everything into place. Anyways, out of all the chains, he's the perfect one to slow the Avatar down."

The parrot-frog's tongue flicks out, catching a fly as Eruka finishes. "Listen, if you've got a problem with how Mosquito's running things, take it up with Asura when he crosses back to this world. I'm sure he'll be more than willing to listen to you."

The parrot-frog from Eruka disappears from Gopher's sight with a small blip. Fuming, he kicks at a rock, yelping when he stubs his toe. Grumbling sulkily, he stalks back to Black*Star and Tsubaki's campsite. He had wanted to be the one to deliver Black*Star to Ember Island.

But not like this.

Shadow perks her head up as he passes by her, growling. He ignores her and snaps, "Change in plans, we're moving now."

Tsubaki sits up and stretches, yawning, while Black*Star nearly leaps out of his sleeping bag. "What do you mean change in plans?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Gopher says petulantly. "Get going."

He doesn't leave room for protest and walks away without another word, pulling out the Book of Eibon. He rubs the spine reverently before holding it close to his chest, hoping that what he is about to do works out better than when Noah tried it.

Gopher leads the group at a breakneck pace. When he hears the roar of the Bei Fong River up ahead, he slows and takes out the Book of Eibon and a box of matches. His fingers tap the book's cover nervously.

"Why are we stopping?" Black*Star demands. "What's going on?"

Gopher takes a deep breath, hating himself for what he's about to do.

"Deal's off."

He sets the book on fire and the rest of the spirits trapped in it burst from the it like volcanic ash, little more than depraved wraiths from how long they've been caged.

Miraculously, they don't attack him like they did to Noah when he first burned the book nearly sixteen years ago. Thanking Noah for small miracles, Gopher casts an undetection spell on himself and watches the scene below from afar.

* * *

In the end, Kid had been forced to change course. The first problem, as Liz had pointed out, was that they had no idea where Ember Island was.

The next was that they had no supplies. So grudgingly he had made for the Earth Kingdom's coast. Beelzebub had reached the coast just as the sun crawled over the horizon.

That had been two weeks ago. Since then, they had been beset by one problem after another.

First, Patti had discovered that the money she'd won had spilled as they fled, leaving them with only a handful of coins. She and Liz had entered town while Kid had been forced to stay behind, the risk of him being recognized too great. They had come back with a map, new clothes, sleeping bags and enough food for a couple days.

Looking at the map, Kid had found the distance from their location to Ember Island was much too far for Beelzebub to travel in one shot. With their limited supplies, the best route was to travel down to the tip of the Kuei mountain range, which laid on a part of the coast relatively close to the Fire Nation, and travel from there to Ember Island.

His frustration over the realization had only been exacerbated by the fact that the only time they were only able to fly at night to avoid being seen. Reversing their sleep schedules was another one of their problems, albeit merely an annoying one, making everyone testier than usual. Therefore, when Patti wakes their entire camp up with a joyous cry just after dawn, no one is pleased.

"Patti," Liz groans. "Please. Go to sleep."

Ignoring her sister, Patti says, "Look, it's my bird friend again!"

Kid opens his eyes reluctantly. "There's nothing there, Patti."

"That's not a very nice thing to say." Patti becomes cross. "Just because you two can't see him doesn't mean he's not there." There's the rustle of leaves crackling as she rises. "I'm going to play with him."

"You go do that," Liz grouches, her words becoming muffled as she buries her head under her pillow. "See you around noon."

Kid, on the other hand, turns from laying on his side to rest on his back. He stares up at the lightening sky peeking through the trees overhead. It infuriates him. Everything does, from the musty smell of the forest floor to the sound of his own breathing.

Closing his eyes and attempting to meditate does nothing to help, if anything it aggravates him more. His toes curl and uncurl in agitation and he flings his pillow away, extracting himself from his sleeping bag. He leaves the campsite and wanders around aimlessly, not stopping until he reaches the banks of the Bei Fong river. He kneels, gazing at the water, flowing gently downstream in his area. His face, somber and pallid, stares back at him. In this light, the three white lines in his hair are almost glowing.

Kid's hands clench as he glares at the lines. They were wrong and he longed to erase them.

His head droops. No, they were exactly right. The lines made his appearance just out of order, which was exactly what he was. A broken Avatar.

What exactly did he hope to achieve by going to Ember Island? Discovering the truth behind Giriko's attack, finding the enemy, all of that was of no use if he didn't have the power to return the world as it should be.

His nails bite into his skin. He had been fooling himself when he had thought mastering the four elements was all there was to being the Avatar. There was no way he was ready for handling the world's problems.

"Kid!" Patti bursts out from the bushes. "We have a problem!"

Blinking back his surprise, he stands, scanning the area around them warily. "Did someone find us?"

"No, more important than that!"

He sighs. "Patti, if this about Mister Parrot..."

"No-" She pauses. "Well, kinda. He _is_ the one that found them."

"Who is them?" Kid asks. "More friends like Mister Parrot?"

"No! They're people on the other side of the river." Her eyes flicker with a spark of anger. "Just because I see things you don't doesn't mean they don't exist."

The force of her words surprises Kid. He's quiet for a moment and then he says, "You're right, I'm sorry." He brushes back the hair from his eyes and starts to walk. "We should probably keep our distance, move if necessary," he says. "They won't become a problem if they don't know we're here."

"But that's not just it," she says, pulling at his sleeve. "They're being attacked by spirits, Kid."

* * *

Kid insists on getting Liz before following Patti. The forest is too thick for Beelzebub to fly properly so the three travel on foot, Patti leading the way. Every so often, she looks at the space above her shoulder like she's listening to someone.

Liz and Kid exchange looks as they follow but neither comment as Patti takes them on a path running parallel to the Bei Fong river, just visible through all the foliage. She stops them after they've been walking for nearly twenty minutes with a raised hand and signals them to be silent, pointing across the river. "There."

The mist kicking up from the river makes it hard to see anything but Kid can hear the sound of unearthly screams punctuate the air violently, sending a shudder down his spine.

Beside him, Liz is ashen. "Those sound nothing like the spirits the monks talked about."

"There's two people fighting them," Kid says, touching the ground. "And an animal."

"So are we going to help them or what?"Patti exclaims impatiently.

"Of course-"

"Not," Liz interrupted. She ignores Kid and Patti's glares. "One, those are spirits. Two, we have no idea who they're attacking or if we can trust them. Three, you could get found out or hurt. And last but not least, _those are spirits._"

"This is my duty, Liz," Kid replies. "And if I can't fulfill it, what good am I?" He doesn't wait for an answer but instead takes a running leap, propelling himself over the river.

He lands right in the middle of the action, darting out of the way as a dark blur shoots toward him and sending it flying back with a well-aimed air blast. He takes a quick look around. Patti was right in calling the creatures spirits but there's something horribly wrong about them. The spirits' bodies are amorphous in some places yet well-defined in others, as if something had been in the process of absorbing them into nothing.

But it's their faces that horrify him most. They're completely ravaged and indiscernible for some spirits while the ones that do have faces are locked in an expression of fear-eyes wide and mouth open in a perpetual scream. He backflips out of the way as another comes racing his way and forced to jump high in the air as the earth beneath him quakes.

"Die!" He catches sight of a blue-haired boy, a determined look on his face as he jabs his hands forward and sends the rock flying to Kid.

"What are you thinking?" Patti materializes seemingly out of nowhere, pushing the rock out of Kid's path with her feet. She lands besides Kid and moves her arms swiftly. An air shield whips up around her, deflecting the spirits away from Kid and herself. "We're not with them!"

"That's exactly what a spirit would say!" the boy shouts back.

"Do you honestly think we look anything like these monsters?" Liz yells shrilly as she sends air slice after air slice to the spirits flocking to her, cutting a path to Patti and Kid.

"Spirits can be tricky!"

An older girl wielding chain scythes appears next to the boy. "Use your eyes, Black Star!" She says,"Do you really think we're in a position to be rejecting help right now?"

A roar, much different than the spirits' screams, breaks through the air.

"Shadow!" Black Star sprints in the opposite direction. He looks over his shoulder. "Do what you want but hurt Tsubaki and I'll kill you!"

"Sorry about that," the girl says apologetically as she hooks one of her scythes around a spirit's neck. "Black Star has a tendency to act first and think later, if at all." She pulls and there's a sickening crunch. "It has a way of getting him into trouble."

The spirit's head flops limply to the side for a moment before slowly righting itself.

Liz lets out a strangled scream. "How can it do that?"

"We've been fighting them for over an hour," Tsubaki replies, planting a scythe in two spirits and sending them crashing into each other. "We can't escape them." She spins the scythes in her hands as a fresh wave of spirits. "And what's worse is that they look like they're multiplying and they don't seem to very willing to die."

"Absolutely perfect," Liz grumbles as the four quickly form a circle and begin to fight in tandem. Black Star remains out of sight, either too preoccupied with dealing with the spirits there or worse.

The battle wears on with no end that Kid can see. It goes against every teaching the monks gave him to raise a hand against the spirits but they have no moral qualms about attempting to rip his head off. It amazes him that Tsubaki and Black Star were able to hold their own before they came along. He takes a deep breath and raises his hands, facing down a grinning spirit.

But when he starts to bring his hands down in an arc, the spirit freezes. Every single one of them does-some perk up their heads, as if they're listening to something. Abruptly, they scatter, some taking flight while others run into the forest.

The four look on in bewilderment as the spirits flee. "I don't get it," Liz says, breaking the silence. "What made them spook?"

"They left on your side too?"

"Black Star!" Tsubaki sighs in relief as he trudges out of the forest. "Where have you been?"

His face darkens. "Disgusting screechers hurt Shadow. She couldn't move and I wouldn't leave her." He looks over at Kid, Patti and Liz. "I'm glad you weren't alone though." He extends a hand. "Jumping you earlier may have been an overreaction," he says. "I'm Black Star."

"Yes, like they didn't hear me call you that earlier," Tsubaki murmurs.

Kid smiles, taking his hand. "I'm Kid and this is Liz and Patti." As he shakes his hand, he sees the shadow marking on his arms and his eyes widen in shock. "You're a spirit chain?"

Black Star rips his hand away and yells, "Tsubaki, get away from them!"

"What's this about?" Patti exclaims as Black Star raises a chunk of earth of their heads.

"Move and I drop it!" Black Star shouts. "He sent you, didn't he?"

"Who sent us?" Kid eyes the rock above them, wondering he could smash it in time if Black Star followed through with his word.

"What are you doing Black Star?" Tsubaki tugs on his arm. "They just saved us!"

"It could be a trap!" He glares at the three. "Tell Giriko his little ruse to capture me with Gopher failed and so did you."

"Giriko?" the three say in unison.

"How do you know him?" Kid demands.

Black Star laughs. "Don't play the fool. It won't work"

"Giriko attacked us as well." Kid takes a few steps, pausing as Black Star lowers the earth threateningly. He eases back, raising his hands. "He came after us two weeks ago with his golems."

For the first time, doubt crosses Black*Star's face. "Golems?"

He nods. "He tried to kidnap me."

"And why would he try to kidnap you?"

Kid exchanges a look with Liz and Patti. They nod at him. He looks back at Black Star. "Because I'm the Avatar."

Black Star's face slackens in surprise before he cracks a grin. "All right, you had me going there for a moment."

Behind him, Liz murmurs nervously, "It'd be a really good idea if you lived up to your title now, Kid."

He blinks. "Oh, right." He flicks his hand, bending a whip of water from the river. "Water." He sends a punch toward the rock above them and a piece breaks off. "Earth." He conjures a flame in his hand. "Fire." Kid looks at Black*Star and Tsubaki. "And you saw air already."

Both Black Star and Tsubaki stare at him, speechless. Then, he gives out a low whistle. "You weren't lying." He pulls his arms to the side and the chunk of earth falls to a crash beside the three.

"I think we have a lot to talk about," Kid says.

* * *

"Hold on." Black Star frowns. "So this Giriko came after you right before he went after us? Said he was gonna take you to Ember Island?""

"It would appear so." Kid looks up from Shadow's flank, pausing in his healing. He sighs. "I wish there was a way of finding out if Kim and Jackie are okay."

"They're tough cookies, Kid," Patti says, patting his hand. "Bad for golems' teeth."

He shakes the mental image Patti had inspired. "More like let slip but yes."

"And then you're led to us by her parrot spirit friend?" Black Star points to Patti.

"Right." He turns back to Shadow, feeling even more dejected for initially dismissing Patti's words. Whatever she had seen was probably the Order's way of tracking them. It was something he should have noticed and it had slipped right by him.

"This makes no sense." He can hear the confusion in Black Star's voice. "What connection do we have with each other?"

"It's not certain that we're linked together but the possibility is highly likely." Kid finishes healing Shadow's wound, giving the badgermole a final onceover. Even though the injuries were closed, there was some kind of spirit venom remaining, leaving Shadow weak. "You're looking for your guardian?"

"Yup." He strokes Shadow's fur. A cold look settles on his face. "No one hurts the people I care about like that and gets away with it."

From where she sits with Liz and Patti, Tsubaki says, "Revenge is something your fa-" She cuts herself off abruptly.

Kid looks from Tsubaki and then to Black Star, unsure what to say.

"Might as well get it out of the way now." Black Star points to a star tattoo on his shoulder. "I'm Star clan."

Kid feels Liz and Patti tense up but they don't move, watching him. He glances at the tattoo and then back to Black Star. "Do you have any idea where your guardian could be?"

The suddenly tense atmosphere drains away. A smile flashes briefly across his face smiles briefly before Black Star shakes his head. "No, Gopher said he was going to take me to him but then he betrayed us, the little rodent."

Kid thinks for a moment before speaking. "I know it's a stretch but given that the Order of Asura is after us both, it might be that they took him to Ember Island." He gestures to Shadow. "Your animal won't be able to carry you there in the shape that she's in. Why not travel with us?"

"So are we just throwing discretion out the window then?" Liz comments dryly. "Someone is bound to notice us now."

"The Order brought us together, Liz," he replies, shrugging. "Which means they can track us. It's better to make speed our first priority and it seems best if we're together."

"How will be able to move quickly if we're walking?" Tsubaki asks. "And how will we be able to cross the sea?"

Kid turns to Black Star. "Would it be possible for your badgermole to track us if we're in the air?"

"Yes," he answers. "Why do you ask?"

He grins. "Have you ever flown on a sky bison?"


	7. Chapter 7

10,203 A.A.-Five weeks until the Summer Solstice

* * *

The Fire temple on Ember Island was created after Asura had made his last stand there. According to the World Council, it was built so it could serve to balance out Asura's negative energy and be a symbol of hope in a place where so much despair had been unleashed. But in reality, the true reason the temple was built was because no one wanted to buy the land where the last Avatar had tried to split open the world.

Mosquito sniffs condescendingly as he heads up the steps leading to the temple. Humans and their duplicity with almost everything. It was almost laughable.

Of course, he wasn't one to talk. He had to admit, however, that there was a certain aura of murk surrounding the temple. He raps on the temple's doors with his cane. But that just made it easier when the Order had gained enough members to stage a coup of the temple, establishing as one of their main bases.

One of the Fire Mages that served at the temple to mask the Order's presence opens the doors. He gulps nervously. "Y-yes?"

Mosquito walks past the trembling man. "Take me to the freezer."

The mage bows. "Right away." He leads Mosquito to a secret passageway in the main hall of the temple, revealing a narrow staircase stretching down into the earth. Torches light their way down the stairs and the temperature begins to drop. They come to a stop in front of a large metal door. A thin layer of frost covers it, the cold coming off in waves.

"Open it."

The mage pulls out a ring of keys from his robe and unlocks the door with shaking hands. The room inside is empty, save for a large oval object standing on a pedestal.

"Leave me," Mosquito orders.

With another bow, the mage obeys, walking backwards.

Ignoring the cold, Mosquito walks into the room and surveys the last dragon egg. He picks it up in his hands. It still feels warm although it's been in the freezer for nearly three years. He remembers the last time he visited the egg-Giriko complaining about dulling its pull on the fire chain, that there was no difference in having the fire chain to come to it rather than the egg dragging them here.

For once, Mosquito's reply that a chain driven mad by the pull was worse than having no chain at all was enough to shut him up. His lips press into a thin line as he walks from the freezer, cradling the egg like a child. But now, thanks to Giriko, their hands were tied.

He settles the egg into its new spot and rests his palm on it, praying to Asura that the chain who would soon be seeking out the egg wouldn't come to them raving and out of their mind.


	8. Chapter 8

10,203 A.A.-Four weeks until the Summer Solstice

* * *

"Order." Azusa doesn't raise her voice much above a whisper but the spirits gathered in the clearing in front of her home fall silent almost instantly. "Thank you for gathering here today." She pushes up her glasses. "I assume you've heard the rumors about the Gorgon sisters and Asura."

"They're not rumors." Kirikou, guardian to the nature spirits Fire and Thunder, speaks up. "There's been weird creatures coming through our land and they stink of Medusa and Arachne." At his mentioning the Gorgon sisters' names, Fire and Thunder stop playing with each other and cling to his side.

There's a thump as a spirit flings a limp and misshapen body into the middle of the clearing. "Did it look like this?" Mifune, a warrior spirit, steps forward, his ever-present sheath of swords slung across his back. "I found it when Angela and I were out."

"Well, its organs were still in its body and it looked a bit like a spider," Kirikou says, covering Fire and Thunder's eyes. '"But there's no mistaking it."

"This is your doing," a squeaky voice says.

One of the Mabaa's clan, the only other spirits older than Azusa herself, points accusingly at her. She recognizes her as Mizune, a mouse spirit. "You used your sight for the Gorgon sisters long ago and whatever you told them started this!" She looks back at the other spirits. "How do we know you're not in league with them?"

Azusa doesn't answer her but instead removes her glasses. "Do you think I would have done this to myself?"

There is a collective gasp as the group of spirits takes in her ravaged eyes.

She walks slowly to the center of the clearing, kicking aside the Gorgons' creation. "I was set upon the youngest Gorgon sister a week ago to finish what her oldest sister started. She ultimately lost the battle but not before taking my sight into the other world." She locks eyes with Mizune. "Although my regular eyesight remains as good as ever." She continues, "And what I see is an unwillingness to act that will destroy us all. I had thought we had learned better when Asura attempted to make himself our lord nearly sixteen years ago."

The spirits turn away from her glare, shifting uncomfortably. Kirikou crosses his arms. "What would you have us do, Azusa?"

"Nothing I'm not willing to do myself," she answers. "I need a search party to check on Asura."

Immediately, several spirits protest.

"Going into the Fog of Lost Souls?"

"That's suicide!"

"The Gorgon sisters aren't moving for nothing." Azusa replaces her glasses upon her face. "I wasn't blinded for nothing. We need to ensure that Asura is the same half-spirit as ever or else expose ourselves to the risk of being taken by surprise." She places her hands behind her back. "Or would you rather pledge yourselves to Asura now and wait for the sky to turn to ashes like last time?"

No one speaks, looking anywhere but at Azusa.

"I'll go." Mifune steps forward.

"As will I," Kirikou says. He looks down at Fire and Thunder, who pull at his hands. "It will okay, you two."

Mabaa says nothing but a few of her clan take a few grudging steps toward Azusa, including Mizune.

She turns to a spirit in attendance who has been unusually quiet. "Excalibur?"

"Say no more," Excalibur declares. He flits into the air, calling after his servant. "Hiro, fetch my purple traveling cloak. The one with the feathers!"

Azusa addresses the group again. "Go and gather whatever weapons or supplies you need. We meet back at sunset."

* * *

"Marriage?" Maka says in disbelief. The word tastes bitter on her tongue. She stares at Spirit, whose hopeful expression has slid off his face. She paces the living quarters of Chief Hartok's guest suite, suddenly finding everything repulsively grandiose. "You want me to get married? Do you think this is something you could have told me about?"

"Well," Spirit says after a moment. "As you've seen, the betrothal is already underway."

"Without me knowing?" she cries. She wants to blast a hole in the wall or possibly into her father's skull but since she can do neither, she settles for coming up with the most cutting insult possible. "Do you honestly think I want to married after the wonderful example you and Mom set for me?"

She almost regrets her words at seeing the pain on Spirit's face. Then her eyes drop down to Ox's necklace in her hands, what started this whole mess in the first place, and a fresh wave of anger washes away any guilt she might have.

"Your mother and I were incompatible," Spirit says slowly. "We wanted different things in life."

"Yes." Maka laughs. "She wanted a faithful husband and you wanted to parade around as chief."

"It was complicated." He raises his hands in what's meant to be a calming gesture. "I won't deny I have a lot of the blame but Vakirah chose to leave."

"Don't say it like that," Maka fumes. "She didn't abandon me."

"That's not what I-" Spirit cuts himself off. He sighs, pulling out his wolftail and shaking his head. "This is a conversation that I've tried to have with you many times. But right now is not the time to discuss it. Ox and everyone else are wai-"

"And he can keep waiting if he didn't understand that me leaving the dinner was a refusal," Maka responds, hurling the necklace to the floor. A small fissure appears below her feet. "I'm not getting married."

"Maka, this is a betrothal announcement." Spirit takes a step toward but eases back when she fixes him with a glare. "It's already been decided."

She stares at him, anger abruptly leaving her. "Why?" Her eyes sting. She feels like a child again. "Why?"

She tenses when Spirit approaches and places his hands on her shoulders but she doesn't pull away. "I have only wanted the best for you, Maka. To be the best father possible. But I think I've hurt you more than I've helped you." He envelopes her in a hug and her eyes widen in shock. "There have been a lot of mistakes I've made and I wish I could take them back. But this isn't one. I think you'll be happy."

Maka grits her teeth, sorry for the tears she let escape. She wrenches himself from his grasp and wipes at her eyes with her sleeve. "You thought wrong, didn't you?" She doesn't let him answer but stalks away to her rooms, slamming the door with a resounding boom.

Locking the door, she falls to her knees. Blair is instantly at her side, meowing in concern. Lifting her head, Maka buries her face in Blair's neck, ignoring the knocking at the door.

Blair's fur is soaked with her tears before Maka raises her head. She sees her extravagant surroundings in a new light now, nothing more than a prison under its gilded facade. She sniffs and speaks softly to Blair. "You want to go on a trip?"

* * *

She wasn't going to leave a note for her father. He didn't deserve one.

Maka pulls the window open, adjusting her bag's strap around her shoulder. The wind has began to pick up and she adjusts her hood around her face to block out the snow. As she hoists herself onto the window sill, Maka's eyes fall on her gloves.

She bites her lip, wondering if she should say goodbye to Soul. As it is, she has very little time before someone comes to check on her and yet, she can't help picturing Soul's face when she doesn't show up tomorrow. She raises her hands, snow already shaping into stairs. She and Blair step out onto the snow and she turns to close the window.

_I have only wanted the best for you._

Maka looks into the room for a few more seconds before launching herself back in. "Stay here," she tells Blair.

The letter is short-there isn't much need to explain anything. _But saying good bye,_ she thinks as the ink brush hovers over the page. _That was harder. _Just as she thinks she's done and has set down the brush, Maka is seized by a sudden impulse. She writes the three words quickly, ignoring the sudden pain in her chest.

In her haste, the _I love you_ looks like it was written by a five year old but she's already wasted enough time. Placing the letter on the bed, she leaves without a backward glance.

* * *

Wes is the one to open the door. It throws Maka off, her rehearsed speech to whichever servant she assumed would open the door flying out of her mind.

"Maka, how nice to see you again," Wes says, a smile replacing his shocked expression. "And you brought Blair."

"Ni-, wait" she says. "I don't remember telling you Blair's name."

"Soul may have mentioned you a time or three," he replies. "Seems like you two became fast friends."

"Yes, we have." She shifts her weight from one to the other. "Speaking of Soul, that's why I came here. I need to talk to him."

"I'm not sure I understand." Wes tilts his head in confusion. "When I caught him sneaking out a while ago, he said he was going out to meet you." He frowns, talking more to himself thank to her. "Where could he be then?"

"I'm sure he's fine," Maka says quickly. "If I see him while I'm out, I'll tell him you want to see him."

"Oh, that's not necessary." The troubled look on Wes' face disappears. "I'm quite used to Soul keeping secrets. He'll be back soon. Sorry you came out here for nothing though."

"It's no trouble. If you see him, could you tell him I came looking for him?" Maka says as she backs away. She begins to turn around when she stops. "Wes."

He pauses in closing the door. "Yes?"

"I don't know if he's ever told you this but Soul looks up to you."

His hand falls away from the door. "No, he hadn't."

She hesitates before adding, "He also said he was grateful you were his brother."

His eyes go unfocused for a moment before he looks at her. "That he most certainly has never told me." Wes' smile is different than his previous ones. "Thank you."

Maka nods. "See you around."

She feels guilty as she makes her way to the docks. Although there was no doubt Wes would be sure to deliver her message, she had wanted to see Soul one last time before leaving. Maka flicks her eyes up and down the row of ships, contemplating which one to stow away in, when a head of white hair catches her eye.

Soul is moving quickly down the docks and away from her and she almost loses him in the moving stream of sailors and dock workers. Luck is on her side, however, and she catches up to him just as he crouches behind a row of barrels. "Soul!"

He nearly jumps a foot in the air before whirling around. "Maka?"

"What are you doing here?" he demands, pushing an eager Blair away.

The look on his face gives Maka a jolt, haunted and twitchy. It's one she's seen before when he thought she hadn't been looking. When she asked, he had insisted he was fine.

Clearly, he was not.

"What are _you_ doing here?" She crosses her arms. "Or is sneaking around the docks your new favorite pastime?"

As he opens his mouth, Soul's eyes fall on her bag just as hers fall on his. "You're leaving?"

"I asked first!"

They glare at each other for a minute before Maka says, "I don't want to get married."

"What?" Soul almost falls forward on his face. "Why didn't you tell me you were getting married?"

"Because I didn't know myself," she snaps. "That's what this whole trip was about but I wasn't told. If I had known, I would have never agreed to come."

"And who's the lucky guy?" he asks, the teasing tone in his voice sounding almost forced. "He's going to be one heartbroken groom."

"Shut up," she says sourly. "It was Ox."

He claps a hand to his mouth, choking down his laughter. "Well, I can see why you're leaving."

"And you?" she says, peeved. "Explain."

He fidgets with his hands, looking at anywhere but her. "Just tired of freezing all the time."

"You could at least try to sound a little believable." She pauses. "I can't believe you were going to leave without coming to see me."

"You were going to leave too," he points out.

"_I _went to your house," she shoots back. "_I_ wanted to say good bye."

"And you think I didn't want to?" he retorts. His gaze shifts to somewhere above her shoulder. "All I wanted to make things as painless as possible."

"That wouldn't have stopped me from worrying," Maka says, ducking her head to meet his eyes. "I care about you."

As they look at each other, she can sense him leaning closer and herself doing the same. Then he moves back and sighs, running a hand through his hair. "The real reason I'm leaving, let's just say I'm looking for something."

She raises an eyebrow. "And that is?"

"Something."

"Fine," she says. "I guess I'll find out soon enough."

His fingers still. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm coming with you," she says simply. "There's nowhere I really want to go except away from here. We could both use the company."

"No, you can't." The force of his words stings sharply. "I don't want anyone with me."

"And why not?" Maka struggles to sound indifferent. "Would my presence bother you that much?"

"No, that's not it." He makes as if he was going to reach out for her hand but he closes his hands and drops it. "I-there's something wrong with me," he says. "You don't deserve to worry about somebody who isn't going to get better."

The resignation in his voice dims her crossness. There are shadows under Soul's eyes and his skin looks stretched tight across his face as if he's missed one too many meals. The restless air springing forth from him is a mess of coils threatening to explode. She remembers the day she found him lying on the ground. Before he opened his eyes, he had looked like he was drowning.

He looks the same now.

"I don't leave people I care about," she says simply. "What's wrong?"

He goes silent for so long that she thinks Soul's just refused to answer her question. Then his hands begin to move again. "It's this pull, right here." He points to his chest. "Someone or something has been dragging me towards them for the past three years. Or maybe it's all in my head. Either way, I can't fight it anymore."

He looks at her apprehensively. "You think I've lost my mind."

"Believe it or not, this isn't the strangest thing I've ever heard." Maka glances down at her arms, always covered to hide the markings she received when she became a chain. "The world is weird." She meets his eyes. "After all, didn't I see you in my dreams?" She takes his hand. "Let me help you, Soul."

He stares down at their hands before he looks up. "Okay."

* * *

Giriko jumps down from the upper deck of the steamship. "You wanna repeat that?"

"Ah, well," Free says. "She escaped. Ran away with a friend."

"How?"

Free wrings his hands. "She was holed up in her room so I decided to take a nap. When I woke up, she wasn't there anymore. I followed her scent to the docks." He swallows. "The ship she was on was already too far away to board when I found it."

"You're part wolf spirit, aren't you?" Giriko spits. "Don't all dogs know how to swim?"

He bristles. "I wasn't going to go diving into that freezing ocean. Besides, that would have attracted too much attention."

"Would me slicing your stomach open attract too much attention?"

"Even here, I'm cursed to be immortal," Free says. "Plus, I don't think Mosquito would like that."

"That old fleabag isn't here."

Free decides to change the subject. "I did find out where the ship is going."

Giriko throws him a surly look. "I don't see how that's going to help."

He ignores him. "It's going to Ember Island. Should be there in about a month." He flinches when Giriko approaches him. "You're an incompetent fool," Giriko says. "But you're a lucky one."

* * *

The Fog of Lost Souls looms ominously in front of the small gathering party. Wisps of mist which unfold eagerly in front of them like a courteous host, ushering them in. Azusa straightens her glasses. "Stay alert. Even though we're not human, the fog can still be tricky. Moreover, since I no longer have my sight, I have no idea if the Gorgon sisters have laid any traps or not. And no matter what, do not leave the group. I will not send anyone to find you."

She marches them in at a brisk pace. Mifune is at her right side, with two swords drawn while Kirikou takes up the rear armed with the boxing gloves Fire and Thunder fashioned for him.

Save for sporadic rock formations, the terrain inside the fog is flat. As the group ventures deeper into the fog, any noise from the outside is swallowed up, leaving behind nothing but a silence that presses against Azusa's ears. But she knows what's coming. She points to the only peak tall enough to jut out of the fog. "That's where we need to go."

As they head towards to the peak, Kirikou speaks. "Not that I'm complaining but shouldn't have something happened by now?"

"Spirits are mostly immune to the fog but if there is a fear close to their hearts, they can become susceptible." She gives Mifune a glance out of the corner of her eyes. "Right, Mifune?"

At the sound of his name, he relaxes his grip on his swords and lowers the swords from where he subconsciously raised them. "Right."

Just before they reach the base of the peak, Mizune asks, "Whatever happened to the one who brought Asura here?"

"Lord Death's status is currently unknown," Azusa replies. "No one was ever able to find his body. In either world." They come to a halt in front of Asura's prison. "He was a brave man. Without him, the new Avatar would have never been born."

"There's no need for a new Avatar when the old one is right here," a voice rasps.

Several of the spirits gasp but Azusa keeps her face devoid of surprise. She surveys the face that's hidden in scarves pressed against the bars. "Hello, Asura."

"It's been a long time, seer." Asura's voice is muffled. He peels away from the bars but hovers in front of them. "Though I don't suppose it's right to call you that anymore."

Azusa stiffens.

"How did you know that?" Kirikou demands.

"A little bird came and told me," Asura says, tilting his head to one side. "Or rather a snake." A cold laugh escapes from him. "Since then, I've been wondering when you would come."

"So the Gorgon sisters have been visiting you," Azusa states.

"The only ones kind enough to keep me company during these fifteen years," he answers. "The only ones to leave me gifts as well."

Immediately, the group tenses and draws closer together. She looks back to Asura. "What gifts?"

"Spider silk has fascinating properties," Asura answers. "Especially when made by one as talented as Arachne." For the first time since they began talking, he moves from the door. "It was just one spider at first," he says. He gestures to the thousands of spiders crawling all over his walls, busily spinning webs. Some are larger than Azusa's head while others are no bigger than an ordinary spider. Strange sizzling sounds are made as the silk hit the walls. "Amazing, isn't it?"

"But I have to say there's not much more room here," he continues. "I think we may have to expand elsewhere." He backs away. "I'm glad you were able to be here to see this."

A movement from above catches Azusa's eyes. The top of the peak sways threateningly. "Run!"

Mifune pitches one of his swords and it strikes true, splitting the falling rock into smaller fragments, while, Kirikou shields the spirits with blasts of fire and lightning. But as more and more of the prison begins to crumble, the spirits begin to split up and scatter in panic.

"Don't separate!" Azusa blocks her face, coughing as she inhales some of the dust kicked up in the air by the debris. As she retreats, she calls, "Follow the sound of my voice!" She fights to make her voice heard over the collapsing prison. "Do not run off!"

One of Mabaa's clan is the first to find her, with the rest of the clan members not too far behind. Kirikou and Mifune appear shortly after with the remaining stragglers. Kirikou raises his gloves. "Now what?"

"We are not equipped to fight Asura," Azusa says. She watches as the last of the prison falls to pieces, dread settling around her heart. "We need to leave now." She scans the group and counts heads. The number she gets comes up one short. She counts again, examining faces this time. "Where is Mizune?"

"Look at this little mouse I found." Asura stands in the middle of his former prison, spiders swarming around him. His hand is wrapped around the throat of Mizune, whose eyes are bulging in fear.

"Mizune!"

Azusa holds out her arm, barring the other spirits from moving. She narrows her eyes, meeting Asura's stare. "Wait."

Asura holds his gaze with her for another moment. He releases Mizune and she drops to the ground, clutching her throat. Gasping for breath, she scrambles to her feet and bolts to the group.

"I could have escaped this place a long time ago," Asura says abruptly. "But I didn't because I was afraid. Of everything." He continues, "Fear is the real prison, for both humans and spirits alike. It sets limits and breaks those who dare to cross them. Fear is why I failed fifteen years ago."

He unwraps the scarves around his face. "I am no longer afraid."

* * *

They are almost out of the fog when one of them finally speaks.

"Why did he let us go?" Kirikou says. "Those spiders could have easily defeated us."

"Asura's body is weakened from its years here," Azusa answers. "It may be that he wanted to avoid a fight for now. What I do know is that Asura is most likely halfway to Arachne and Medusa by now."

Mizune rubs her neck. "And what are we going to do about that?"

"The reason Asura was sealed away instead of killed was due to the fear of setting the precedent of killing the Avatar and what it would signify, if it would cause more conflict among the four nations. It was thought that the fog would be enough." Azusa keeps her eyes trained on the dissipating fog. "Obviously, we were wrong. The human world has not been able to heal and his presence here has thrown the spirit world out of sync."

"So now he must killed," one of the spirits says.

"Yes," Azusa says. "But now that Asura is with the Gorgons, we won't be able to lay a finger on him. More importantly, there is only one person who could kill Asura justly."

"And that is?"

"The new Avatar." They emerge from the fog at she speaks.

"That's difficult when they don't even know that Asura is back." Kirikou points out.

"He'll sense that Asura has risen again," Azusa says, turning her head. "And even if he doesn't, I'm quite sure he will soon have the chance to meet Asura."

"And why is that?" Mizune asks.

"Asura needs a new body to cross back to earth. One that can bend all four elements."

"But that's impossible when they're not here," Mifune interjects. "Isn't it?"

"Not with the spirit chains," she says. She clears her throat. "The Gorgons, Asura and his followers are working on creating a portal like last time with their power and I have every reason to believe it'll be done by summer solstice."

A stunned silence comes over the group.

"Ho, there!" Excalibur waves his cane as he and Hiro come into view, Hiro holding a purple cloak and wearing a bereaved expression.

"Excalibur, I thought you had left already," Azusa exclaims.

"A messenger never leaves without the whole of the message, you fool," he declares. "Especially one who is not coming back."

"Yes," Azusa says, suddenly feeling awkward. "I'm sorry you have to do this."

"Immortality is tedious," he says, taking the cloak from Hiro. "And I wish to make my legend known to the mortals."

Azusa nods once before moving on. "Tell Stein Asura is free. That it is likely that his plan will succeed this time."

Excalibur rises into the air. "Anything else?"

She shakes her head. "Good luck."


	9. Chapter 9

10,203 A.A.-Three weeks until the Summer Solstice

* * *

Sid sits by his cell's door, reviewing the plan in his head once more. It was nearly too straightforward but then again, he had always been a man who preferred simplicity. He knocks on the door with his metal gloves, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Across the way, in her and Kim's cell, Jackie answers him back with a series of soft knocks.

He grins at Kim's additional message before hoisting himself to his feet with some difficulty, the chains around his feet making him clumsy. "Hey, Gopher!" he calls out.

When the jail guard appears with a miniature golem, he wears a disgusted look on his face. "Again?"

"Sorry," Sid says. "But when a man has to go, a man has to go." He eyes the golem. It's no bigger than he is, yet he knows from personal experience that it's stronger than even the toughest human.

Gopher tucks a small pouch tied around his neck. "Step back."

He backs away as Gopher unlocks and opens the door, entering the cell to take off the gloves. He rubs his hands and stretches his stiff fingers.

"What are you waiting for?" Gopher says as he steps out of the cell. "Get moving."

Sid shuffles a few steps and falls to his knees. He looks up. "Think you can take these chains off?"

"You wish." Gopher sneers. "You earned them with that last little stunt of yours."

"Your golems were antagonizing those girls."

"They're not mine." Gopher taps his foot impatiently. "Start walking or I leave."

"Fine," Sid sighs. "But don't blame me when I fall on you." As he exits the cell, he glances at the cell in front of him, locking eyes with Kim through her window. He stumbles again and takes Gopher down with him.

"What did I say?" he says conversationally as Kim and Jackie's cell door is blasted off its hinges. He covers Gopher's mouth before he makes himself invisible. "You ought to have listened."

Jackie and Kim burst from the cell, shooting the golem with lightning with one synchronized move before it can do anything other than take a few steps towards them. Sparks fly from it as its internal circuitry is overloaded and it falls to the ground with a crash. "I've been wanting to do that for ages," Kim says, looking at the fallen golem with triumph. "Why didn't we do this sooner?"

"Giriko would have never been as easy to overpower as this one." Sid struggles to his feet, forcing Gopher up. He pushes him against the wall, making sure to keep his hand over Gopher's mouth. "And not as willing to talk."

"Talk?" Kim says as Jackie takes Gopher's key ring from his pocket and frees Sid from the chains. "We don't have time for that."

"We don't have a choice." Sid plucks the pouch from Gopher's neck-the one he's seen him crying over. He holds it out to Jackie. "What's in there?"

Jackie unties and opens the pouch, wrinkling her brow in confusion. "They're ashes."

Gopher's eyes widen in panic and he thrashes against Sid's hold on him.

Sid tightens his grip on Gopher. "You're going to tell us exactly how my son and the Avatar are related to all of this or you can say goodbye to those ashes."


	10. Chapter 10

10,203 A.A.-Two weeks until the Summer Solstice

* * *

Joe pokes his head into Stein's tent. "You have some visitors, Commander."

"I've told you not to call me that." Stein looks up from the mountain of papers on his makeshift desk.

The lieutenant grins sheepishly. "Old habits die hard."

"Make sure to bury them next time," he says, finishing his report to the council. He sets down his quill. "Send them in." He takes off his glasses once Joe leaves and rubs the bridge of his nose. They were fighting a losing battle and the members of the council weren't going to be pleased with his report's honesty. He'd always suspected the but the council was made up of overly optimistic fools who refused to listen to logic. And now, with the now-mortal Excalibur's message from Azusa arriving in the midst of their frantic search to find the Avatar, there was no denying things were going very badly.

He had moved his troop back to the western coast of the Earth Kingdom in reaction to the Avatar's disappearance, hoping they could find something new to help them in their search for Kid. He puts his glasses back on. In truth, he didn't believe it would yield anything but he was running out of places to turn.

A familiar face interrupts his thoughts. "Long time, no see, Stein."

It takes a lot to surprise Stein but the sight of Sid, Jackie and Kim astonishes him. He rises to his feet. "How are you three here? Together?"

"It's a long story I'll explain later," Sid says. He turns behind him and pulls a boy with angry, tear-filled eyes. "You'll be more interested in hearing what Gopher has to say."

Stein recognizes the boy's strange aura at once. "And how did you capture this spirit?"

"Is he really a spirit?" Sid says interestedly. "Black Star had said there was something off about him."

"You promised you'd give it back after I talked," Gopher says sulkily.

"And so I will," Sid replies. "But I didn't specify who you needed to talk to."

"Is it all right if we wash up somewhere?" Kim interrupts. "I haven't had a proper bath in almost two months."

Stein gives them a nod. "I'll be wanting to hear your story later."

"Of course," Jackie says as they leave.

"Now," Stein says, gesturing to the cushions in front of his desk. "Sit."

Gopher doesn't talk when they're seated, biting his upper lip furiously.

Sid pokes him in the shoulder. "If you would like to see Noah again, you'll talk."

"Okay!" He wipes at his eyes, taking a deep breath before he begins to speak. "The Order is rounding up the spirit chains and the Avatar because Asura needs them to make a portal."

Stein interlocks his fingers and gazes at Gopher thoughtfully. "And where and when is he planning on making this portal?"

"Ember Island. On the Summer Solstice."

"Ahh." Stein leans back, staring up at the ceiling. His shoulders shake as he laughs. He wipes the tears from his eyes and clears his throat. "Just like old times."

"Glad I wasn't the only one who found the irony in that," Sid says. "Think it'll be in the same spot as last time too?"

"Oh, I have no doubt about that. And if we are to have any hope of making it there, we'll have to leave today," Stein's voice loses any trace of humor. "We'll be continuing this conversation later but what exactly is the status on the Avatar and chains?"

Gopher balls his hands into fists and frowns, lip jutting out resentfully. Then, he steals a glance at Sid. "The last I knew the Avatar and Black Star were traveling to Ember Island together and arrangements were being made for the other two."

Stein nods thoughtfully. All of the chains together was what he had been working to avoid all these years and it had all come undone in a matter of months. "Make sure to keep him somewhere safe, Sid." He dismisses Gopher with a wave of his hand. "After I hear your side of the story, you'll be free to leave. Unless you'd prefer to stay."

"I was never the man to back away from conflict. Especially when it's my family on the line," Sid responds, standing up. "Plus, it seems like you could use every person you can get in this fight."

He smiles faintly. "That's an understatement."


	11. Chapter 11

10,203 A.A.-The day before the Summer Solstice

* * *

The towns dotting the land beneath Beelzebub look no bigger than spider-ants. If he squints hard enough, Black Star can see the tiny wave of earth that is Shadow keeping time with them. Through their link, he can feel that she's almost entirely recovered from the poison, which is immensely relieving to him. Shadow is what his right hand was to him-he can't imagine living without her.

He yelps in surprise when a hand pulls him back from where he leans over the back of Beelzebub's saddle. Tsubaki releases Black Star and settles back in her spot. "You're going to tumble over the side one of these days and there's going to be nothing I can do."

"I think I'd still be fine," he says, looking toward Liz and Patti, who are still sleeping soundly even though the sun rose hours ago.

"Your sense of self-preservation is as sharp as ever." She rolls her eyes and holds out a bag of lychee nuts. "Hungry?"

"Not really."

She laughs. "That's a first."

He crosses his legs. Ever since they joined Kid, Liz and Patti, they'd had almost no time to talk or even be alone together. He fiddles with his hands, which was a problem since he has a question he's been dying to ask her for days.

"Why do you have that look on your face?" she asks.

"I do not."

"You look like you're about to sneeze."

"Nope." He shrugs. "Just thinking."

"And that's exactly how you look when you think about something that bothers you," she says shrewdly. "It's about me, doesn't it?"

Before he can catch himself, he blurts out, "How did you know?"

"It's not hard to figure out," she says as she finishes the last of the lychee nuts. "You've been quiet, for starters. And you've been looking at me like that for a while now."

"It's just that..." He trails off and meets her eyes. "Are you okay?" he asks. "Going there?"

She gazes at him for a few moments before blinking rapidly. "I-yes, I'm fine."

"You haven't seemed very fine in your dreams," he says in a low voice. "Not for a while now."

She steals a glance at the sleeping sisters and at Kid, who is at the reins, before answering back in a whisper. "They're just nightmares. Everyone gets them."

"The same one every night?" he asks.

"I'm fine," she says. "My entire family knew Masamune's fate the moment he declared himself as Asura's supporter. And that was almost sixteen years ago." She crumples the bag. "It's something I've had time to get used to."

"It doesn't mean you're over it."

"I'm fine," she repeats.

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it," he replies. He cuts off her immediate protest. "But don't deny it to yourself, okay? I can see it hurts you and when you're ready, I want to help."

She goes quiet and swallows hard. Her hands, always steady, shake in her lap. "Okay."

From where he sits, Kid clears his throat. "I'm sorry to interrupt but we have a problem." He gestures toward the ocean, which glints ahead of them like diamonds.

Black Star instinctively glances down, towards Shadow. "Didn't you say you had an idea for this before?"

"Correct," Kid says, angling Beelzebub to the ground. "Whether it will work or not remains to be seen."

They touch down on an isolated beach trip, which wakes Liz and Patti.

"What time is it?" Liz mumbles.

"Time to get up," Kid replies as he unfurls his map. "We're about here," he says, pointing to an area on the tip of the Earth Kingdom's most western peninsula. "And Ember Island is here." He moves his finger to a tiny speck in the ocean, not far from where they are now. "We could get there in a couple of hours."

"That's a nice plan," Black Star says. "But again what about Shadow?" At the sound of her name, the badgermole pokes her head up from underground.

"You're an earthbender, aren't you?" Kid says matter-of-factly. "Make her a raft and together, you and I will be able to push her along with the water."

Black Star glances at Shadow, who is sniffing the sea breeze suspiciously. Memories of how miserable the badgermole had been when they traveled with Maka resurface. "I'm not sure if she's going to like that."

"You'd prefer to leave her behind?"

"Obviously not," he says, scowling.

Kid rolls up the map. "Then I guess it's decided then."

He doesn't argue any further but Black Star vents his annoyance with Kid by making the raft as loudly as he possibly can. When it's finished, Shadow proves extremely unwilling to get onto the raft, refusing to budge from her spot in the sand. It's only after minutes of him encouraging her that she grudgingly plods onto the raft.

"She really hates the water, doesn't she?" Kid comments as he watches from the raft.

"What was it that made it so obvious?" Black Star says through his teeth as Shadow buries her face in the earth. "She doesn't like not being able to see."

"It won't be for long, I think." Kid waves to Liz, Patti and Tsubaki, who have gone ahead of them on Beelzebub. He and Black Star position themselves on either side of Shadow. Together, they move in rhythm and the raft moves at a fast clip, the view of the beach quickly disappearing behind them.

However, while Kid seems content with not striking up a conversation, the silence makes Black Star uncomfortable. He ponders for a moment. Even though, they've been traveling together for weeks now, it's only now that he realizes he doesn't know much about Kid at all. "So," he starts, "How is it being the Avatar?"

"It's no that different from being any other kind of bender." Kid shrugs, hands moving to side to side. "I just traveled air temple to air temple to learn the different elements."

"So that means that you've traveled a lot."

"Not in the true sense," he says, shaking his head. "Because of the previous Avatar's actions, I wasn't allowed to explore outside the temples as a child and I didn't feel the need to press my luck when I was older. During our travels, we were either in the air or at one of the safe houses along the way. It was a constant cycle of moving from one place to the next."

"That doesn't sounds fun," Black Star says, furrowing his brow. "Or fair."

"It was necessary," he replies. "Even though I didn't understand at first."

"What do you mean?"

"I was eight when it happened," he says after a pause. "This was before Liz and Patti came along so moving homes was rather lonely. I'd always been told it was for my own safety so I didn't complain. And they were right in a way, considering what's happening now. But that day, I realized that my guards were protecting the world from me as much as they were protecting me."

He continues. "I overheard a conversation between the guards one night. It was long after I had gone to bed but I couldn't sleep so I was wandering around the temple. As I was passing by the living quarters, I heard Asura's name and then my name so I stopped to listen. They were recounting the days when he rebelled, only talking about him with fear and curses." His movements don't break pace. "When they started talking about me, it wasn't any different than when they talked about Asura, as if it was only a matter of time that I became like him. And that's when I understood how the world saw me."

"That's..." Black Star thinks for a moment. "Ridiculous."

"It makes sense," Kid says reasonably. "If you were bit by a rat-viper once, you wouldn't make the same mistake of trusting them again, would you?"

"But this is different," he protests. "You make your own choices."

"That was the same conclusion I came to," Kid says. "It's why I dedicated myself to mastering the elements. I wanted to prove I'm not dangerous, that I can help the world." Melancholy enters his voice. "But with everything that's happening now, I don't know if I'm capable enough."

"But I've seen you bend," Black Star says, craning to look at him. "There's no denying that you're a master."

"That's true," he says. "But I'm not sure if that makes up for an Avatar who can't even go into the Avatar state."

"Really?" He has to keep himself from dropping his hands. "But I thought it would have came easy to you since Air nomads were supposed to be the most spiritual people."

"Yes, thank you for the reminder," Kid says.

"Sorry, sorry," he says hastily. "It's just surprising."

"It's fine," Kid sighs. "Sometimes I've wondered if I was meant to be the Avatar."

"You know," Black Star says after a minute. "You're actually not doing too bad for someone who's never dealt with the real world before. Another person might have run away but you decided to face the problem head-on."

"Thanks." There's a long pause and then, "It means a lot."

"No problem."

"Now if only we knew what this problem actually was," Kid muses out loud.

"Do you really think Ember Island has the information you're looking for?" he asks. "It doesn't even make much sense to me."

"It is the place where Asura was sealed away but other than that, I can't figure why else it'd be important to the Order," Kid replies. "Hopefully somewhere on the island, we can find the answers to our questions."

Black Star picks up his pace of his bending. "And Sid too."

* * *

The heat from the dragon's fire laps at the back of Soul's neck as he runs. Where he is running, he is not sure, all he wants is to be out of this nightmare.

Which is oddly different this time. Instead of the encroaching darkness the dragon usually entraps him in, he is in a tropical forest, the sound of a flowing river somewhere in the distance. The lush scenery and sweet-smelling flowers stands in sharp contrast with the dragon's violent roaring as it rips apart the forest, laying waste to everything around it in its search for him.

"Soul?"

The sound of Maka's voice sends fresh panic running in Soul's veins and he sprints faster. He has no idea what she's doing here but he needs to find Maka before the dragon does.

"Soul!"

Something sharp bites into his hand and his heart leaps in his throat, sure that the dragon has caught him. He struggles desperately to pull free but the dragon won't let go.

Water drenches his face, making him gasp as he is brought back to reality.

"Sorry about that." Maka's worried face looks down at him. "You were thrashing around and wouldn't wake up. Another nightmare?"

"Yeah," he says, rubbing his eyes. "I-" He suddenly becomes aware of his head resting on Maka's lap and he sits up in a rush, accidentally pushing up against her leg with his hand in his haste. The dank darkness of the hold they've made for themselves between the crates in the Phoenix's cargo hold has never been more welcome. to him "Sorry."

"No need to apologize, I'm the one that moved you. I thought you'd sleep better if you weren't resting on metal," she says sheepishly. "You seemed like you needed the rest."

"You weren't wrong." He leans his head against a crate, feeling as drained as he had been when he'd fallen asleep. "I'm okay right now though."

She begins to say something else but she pauses mid-sentence. "Is this-" She squints down at her parka. "Is this blood?"

"What?" He looks to where she's pointing, spotting the dark stains. He reaches out. "When did you hurt yourself?"

"It's not me," Maka says, shaking her head. "Look at your hand!"

Soul glances at his hand to find his palm dripping with blood. He scrutinizes it and presses his fingers against the wound. "I must have banged it against something when I was moving around in my sleep. It's not deep, I think, so it'll probably stop bleeding soon."

"Here," she says, holding out her hand. "Let me see."

"No," he says, ignoring as the cut begins to ache more sharply. "It's fine, I'll just wrap it up with something."

"Let me see it," she insists, bending out some water from the pouch strapped around her waist. "Or did you forget I was a healer?"

He blinks. "Oh, right." He stops resisting and allows her to grab his hand. "I kinda did."

She snorts as she bends her head over his hand. "Unbelievable."

"Well, you seem a lot fonder of using that scythe of yours," he mutters. "I figured you focused more on that in your training."

"You're right," she says. As soon as the water touches his hand, it glows blue, briefly illuminating the dim hold. She looks up, her breath tickling his nose. "But I decided that learning how to heal had its advantages too." She releases him. "There."

"Lucky for me," Soul says, examining his hand. It looks as good as new. "Guess I don't have to worry about getting hurt anymore."

"There are wounds I wouldn't be able to heal," she says, giving him a dark look. "So don't go off doing something reckless." She brushes back her hair. "So, about your dream," she says, clearing her throat. "Did you want to talk about it?"

"There's not much to talk about." He breaks their eye contact. "It's the same thing. Just getting worse as we get closer." He adds, "Sorry about ruining your clothes."

"This is an old parka anyways," she replies as she tugs it off and shoves it in her bag. She peers out from their hiding place. "I wonder where Blair wandered off to now." She stretches, flexing her arms in front of her. "I overheard one of the sailors talking while you were sleeping and we're almost there apparently."

"What are those?" Soul asks, spying shimmery wavelike markings spiraling up her arms. "Tattoos?"

She freezes, eyes going wide. "I forgot I wasn't wearing my long-sleeve under this."

"These are really cool," he says, taking her hand and brushing a finger over one of the markings on her forearm. "When did you get them?"

"I-" Maka falls silent momentarily. "Have you heard of spirit chains?"

"Yeah, I remember there was something in the news about it a few years ago." He strains his memory. "Something about a couple being found or something." His eyes fall back down on her arm. "Wait, are you saying that you're one of them?"

"Yes." She leans close to Soul. "I wasn't supposed to tell anyone but I don't want to lie to you either."

He meets her eyes. "You know your secret is safe with me." Swallowing nervously at her proximity, he lets go of her arm and settles back into his spot. "So that explains why Blair listens so well to you," he says. "You have any other cool powers?"

"Blair and I were friends before we were bonded," she says, laughing. "And nope, no cool powers."

"That's a shame, it would have been neat if you could shoot lava out of your eyes."

She raises an eyebrow. "Wouldn't that make more sense if I was a firebender?"

"Right." He fidgets, suddenly made keenly aware of the weight of his lie. But Maka had never asked directly if he was a firebender, his mind immediately reasons. It was more an omission of the truth.

Which amounted to the same thing in his eyes and most likely in Maka's too.

Blair interrupts his thoughts, announcing her arrival with the sound of her nails clicking against the ship's floor. She pokes her head in the hold, meowing softly.

"There you are," Maka says, petting her head. "I was getting worried." Somewhere above them, a horn sounds. "We're here," she says, sighing in relief. She removes herself from their hiding place with some difficulty and picks up their bags. She stands and offers Soul her hand. "I am so glad we're done having to stay in this place."

"I couldn't agree more." Grabbing her hand and hoisting himself to his feet, Soul takes his bag from her. "They're going to be unloading all this stuff soon so how are we going to get out without anyone seeing us this time?"

She purses her lips as she thinks and then her eyes light up. "I've got it."

* * *

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Soul whispers as they peek out of the cargo hold, the sound of rapid footsteps all around them.

Both Maka and Blair fix him with the same offended glare. "Are you really doubting me?" she asks.

"No, I'm-" He stops as the invisible pull roars back to life. Having dulled to something almost bearable throughout their journey, the force of pull hits him like lightning, knocking the wind out of him.

Maka touches his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"No," he says. He screws his eyes shut and gives his head a quick shake, which does nothing to help him. "Let's just get out of here."

"Okay," she says, clearly struggling not to argue with him. She turns and gestures to Blair. "Go on." With a swish of her tail, the polar lion jumps up to the deck; it doesn't take long for the crew to notice her, the buzz of their banter turning into startled yells.

Maka tightens her grip on Soul's shoulder. "All right, let's go!" Hooking her arm with his, she practically drags him up the stairs, across the deck and down the gangplank. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see some of the crew members trying to catch Blair while others run from her.

"And Blair?" he asks as they walk briskly down the dock. "Shouldn't we wait for her?"

"She's fine. Our connection means she can find me anywhere," she answers. "She'll catch up with us soon." She leads him down the dock's steps and to an adjacent beach where a bustling seaside town bursts with activity. "Now, what we need to do is fi-"

"Do you hear that?" Soul perks his head up as they step onto the beach, a barely audible voice calling to him. Something shifts in his chest and the pull simmering in his bones turns into a scorching fire, overwhelming in its tenacity. But instead of putting him on his knees, it throws the entire world into focus. He wrenches away from Maka. "Can you see where it's coming from?"

"Hear what?" she says, alarmed. "Soul, what's wrong?"

He doesn't answer but lurches into a run, the pull guiding his steps. It takes him away from the beach and into a tropical forest he recognizes from his dream as he plunges into the brush. Distantly, he can hear Maka calling his name but he can't stop, bent on finding what has been calling to him all these years. He weaves between trees-he's so close he can taste it.

The pull disappears abruptly when he arrives at the foot of a temple resting on a bank of a river cutting the forest in half. With its departure leaves Soul's adrenaline-fueled energy and he doubles over, panting for breath.

He yelps as a hand yanks on the back of his collar.

Maka glares at him, Blair back at her side. Between shallow breaths, she says, "Mind giving me some warning before you go sprinting off?"

"Sorry," he says, scratching his head. He points to his chest. "It's this."

She grunts once but the bite in her voice is gone. She gestures with her head to the temple behind them. "But I thought you said you didn't know where you were going."

"I don't," he says, turning to study the temple. He realizes he had been wrong in thinking the pull had vanished; instead it has dimmed to a gentle tug, as if telling him he's almost there. "Or at least, I thought I didn't."

Together, they climb up the temple's steps. Soul's hand, poised to open the door, pauses as he takes in the elaborate battle scene etched on its surface. The sky is black and red in the picture, hordes of soldiers on either side-the clear losers are the ones outlined in red while the victors are edged in blue. He recognizes one of the blue figures in the center as Stein, distinguishable by his glasses and the scythe he holds, but he doesn't remember the name of the other figure beside him. His face is covered by mask carved like a skull, hands thrown wide as a giant hole in the sky drags him and one other person, lined in red, in.

"Asura." Maka's voice comes out in an awed whisper next to him. She looks at Soul excitedly. "I've read about this battle! This is where it took place."

"You're be right in that," a wheezy voice says from behind them.

They both jump, whirling around.

"Good afternoon." A Fire Mage wearing a nervous smile observes them. "I am Rekan. Interested in touring the temple?" He glances down at Blair as he moves to open the doors. "Quite an unusual pet you have there, young lady."

"Yes," Maka says. "I bought her from a traveling circus when she was a baby." Her words sound false even to Soul, who is trying to tamp down the urge to rush ahead.

Rekan, however, doesn't question it further. "So what brings you two all the way out here? We don't get many visitors."

She launches into an increasingly unbelievable ramble while Soul glances around the hall. The voice he heard before isn't a voice at all but a chain of notes, like an instrument. Its somber melody is worse than the pull-he doesn't even try to fight it this time, bolting past Rekan, Maka and Blair.

"Soul!" Maka calls.

"Sorry," he calls as he runs, straining his ears on catching the notes, which grow louder with every step. They lead him to a staircase that spirals downward into darkness and he takes the stairs two at a time, winding his way through the temple until the song comes to a stop when he reaches a plain-looking door, turning into hushed thrumming in his veins. His fingers tremble in nervous excitement as he twists the doorknob and steps into the room.

It's empty save for are a pedestal and an oval black stone with jagged scarlet stripes. He crosses the room in wide strides and takes the stone in his hands. For the first time in almost exactly three years, a complete sense of peace and quiet embraces him.

_Was this it?_ he wondered, examining it. _There's nothing special about this. _He continues to turn the stone over in his hands. While it was true that the stone did feel strangely warm in his hands, he can find nothing else unique about it.

Soul frowns, putting the stone back. _Maybe,_ he thinks as he turns to leave the room, _this wasn't it._

A soft crunching sound makes him twist around.

There was a large crack in the stone.

* * *

"There are bugs everywhere," Liz complains as Kid leads their group through the forest. "I can feel them crawling above me, just waiting to fall in my hair," she says with a shudder.

Kid pushes aside a large branch, allowing everyone to go in front of him. "You could always go up with Beelzebub."

"And not be here if enemies start attacking?" She scoffs and ruffles his hair as she passes through. "I don't think so."

Tsubaki speaks up. "What makes you think this temple is the place, Kid?"

"It's only an educated guess, based on what you said Gopher told you," he answers. "It's also fairly isolated, which would be ideal for a trap as well as a hiding place for hostages," Kid replies, glancing at Black Star, who had grown increasingly more serious the closer they got to their destination. "Plus, it's the place where Asura was defeated. Otherwise, I have no idea where we're going."

"That's...reassuring," she says.

"Don't worry, Kiddo," Patti interjects brightly. "Your instincts are usually spot-on."

His reply is cut off by a cry from Black Star. "Look, there it is!"

Beelzebub joins the five in the clearing before the temple, Shadow emerging from underground. Black Star begins to make for the temple stairs but Kid puts a hand in front of him. "Wait."

"Why?" he asks, scowling. "There's nothing we need to wait for. Let's go!"

"If this is a trap like Gopher told you, then they're probably expecting us," Kid says, "We can't just go barging in there."

"But we're all excellent fighters," he counters, cracking his knuckles. "I think we'll be able to handle ourselves."

"And I'm sure the Order has just as capable people," Kid says with a bite of impatience. "Our best bet is to-"

However, Black Star isn't listening to a word he says because he promptly runs up the steps, yanks open the temple doors and disappears inside.

"Will he never learn?" Tsubaki withdraws her chain scythes with a loud sigh before running in after him.

"Well, now what?" Liz asks.

"There really isn't a choice," Kid says. He gives Beelzebub a pat and looks at the two animals. "You two stay here." Shadow snorts discontentedly while Beelzebub gives an affirming growl and lies his head down, closing his eyes.

"This place looks deserted." Liz comments warily as they enter the temple's hall.

"Maybe the spirits took over," Patti suggests.

She scowls at her. "You're not helping the situation, sis!"

Kid frowns, glancing at the plethora of hallways branching off from the hall. "Where did those two go?"

"Did you mean your blue-haired friend?"

Liz gasps at the sound of the new voice, gluing herself to Patti.

"So sorry to alarm you," the voice says contritely. An old man donned in Fire Mage attire comes from the shadows lining the hall and bows. "I am Rekan, the chief mage of this temple."

Kid bows as well and straightens. He hesitates to speak, unsure whether he should make up a story or declare outright why they're here.

Rekan, however, gapes at him. "You're the Avatar!"

Beside him, Patti and Liz tense. Kid tilts his head and narrows his eyes. "How did you know that?"

"I'm friends with some of the monks at the Air temples," Rekan says, wringing his hands. "They've told me about you." He adds, "I heard your friends come in but they ran off before I could call to them. But I'm sure they haven't gone too far. Why don't you wait in one of our rooms while I send the other mages to go find them?"

After exchanging a look with Liz and Patti, Kid nods.

Rekan takes them to a large windowless sitting room, lined with couches and several bookshelves. A large rug lies askew in the middle of the floor. They sit on the same couch while the mage pulls on a rope by the door, a bell sounding from somewhere. He fiddles anxiously with his hands. "Now then," he says, "To what do we owe this honor?"

In the bright light of the room, Kid notices thin scratches on his wrists. "What happened to your hands?"

Flinching, Rekan glances down. "Oh this? I was out pruning in the gardens. Rose-orchids' thorns are terribly unforgiving," he says with a feeble laugh, tucking his hands into his sleeves. There's a knock at the door. "Excuse me for a moment." He rises and opens the door halfway, speaking in a low whisper.

"Kinda strange, isn't he?" Liz mutters in Kid's ear. "I think he's with them."

"So do I," he says quietly. He looks at Rekan out of the corner of his eye. "But he seems afraid too. I want to see what he will tell us."

"And if this is a trap?" she asks.

He taps his foot against the floor. "I think he can be turned."

"You think Tsubaki and Black Star are okay?" Patti wonders.

"I think we'd be able to hear if they weren't."

Rekan returns to his seat. "Sorry about that. Now where were we?"

Kid hesitates, debating how much he should reveal. In the end, he only tells Rekan the bare bones of what they've gone through, noting how he involuntarily stiffens when he mentions Black Star being a spirit chain. "My main question is," he finishes, watching him carefully, "What does the Order would want with the two of us?"

"Oh, I wouldn't be able to answer that," the mage says uneasily.

"Or is it that you can't?" He keeps his face composed but Kid's heart thuds anxiously at laying his cards on the table. Both Liz and Patti are perched on the couch, ready to strike.

"There isn't much difference between the two, is there?" Rekan says in strained voice.

"With one you can help us and the other you can't," he replies, leaning forward.

Rekan leans back, running a hand over his face. "Hypothetically speaking," he says after a moment, "Let's say there was a group of Asura's remaining followers seeking a way to bring him back from the spirit world. That they were here."

Kid's hands grow clammy but he is unsurprised. "How would they manage doing that?"

"How else?" Rekan answers. "By creating a portal."

He shakes his head. "The only person who can open the spirit world is the Avatar." A hollow feeling settles at the bottom of his stomach. "And I cannot go into the Avatar state."

"Is Asura not the Avatar?"

Kid has to stop his hands from balling into fists. "He is no longer worthy of being called by that title."

Rekan shrugs. "Asura may be a fallen Avatar yet that does not take away who he is. But that's a point not worth debating. Since he has been in the spirit world for so long, he can't cross over in his state." He meets Kid's eyes. "But he could if he had a different body."

His heart thuds in his chest. "The only place I can open a portal world is in the center of the North Pole," Kid says slowly. He looks down at his hands. "But even there I'd need the Avatar state to do it."

"Combined with you, a spirit chain in your own right, and the chains from each of the other elements, together you have enough spiritual energy to create a temporary portal," Rekan says, standing. "Even without the Avatar state." The mage walks around the room, leaning against the wall opposite them. "Admittedly, it can only be done when this world and the spirit world are closest and even then only for the hour the sun is at its peak."

"When the worlds are closest," Kid repeats. His eyes widen. "Like tomorrow?"

"Precisely." Rekan nods. He presses a tile in the wall and a secret door slides open. Springing inside, he slams it shut and there is a metallic clink as a lock clicks. Patti attacks the wall with an air blast while Liz runs to the room's door, yanking on the handle to no avail. Rekan's muffled voice comes from the other side. "Sorry to do this, at least now you know what you're up against!"

Liz glares at Kid. "I told you this was a trap!"

Kid wants to kick himself-he should have known Rekan's sudden change of heart was too good to be true. He's about to say as much when he hears a faint cry from beneath them. He furrows his brow, listening harder. "Do you hear that?"

* * *

Maka wakes up with a groan and opens her eyes to a darkened and cramped space. The soft pillow she feels lying underneath her head turns out not to be a pillow at all but an extremely dazed Blair. She tries to shift off of her but there isn't any room to move anywhere else. She feels the polar lion twitch her head, meowing in concern.

"I'm all right," she says, words slightly slurred. She rubs her head and blinks away the grogginess of whatever sleeping draught had been given to her and Blair by Rekan.

When Soul had run off, she had been kept from going after him by Rekan-the mage had grabbed around the arm and she'd noticed him looking strangely at her arms for a second before letting her go. However, he hadn't commented about the markings, simply saying, "Friend of yours that eager to take a look around?"

She'd agreed, relieved she didn't have to make up a story for Soul's behavior, and offered to go search for him but he had rejected her offer, insisting he would send one of the other mages to find Soul, that she and her pet should wait for him in one of the rooms in the temple. His tone hadn't left much room for argument. He had taken she and Blair to a room on the second floor and left, bringing with him refreshments.

But she had known there was something wrong with her drink within minutes, becoming weak and dizzy. She had tried to fight but whatever had been in the drink also made her bending ineffective. The most she had been able to do was scratch Rekan's hands right before she lost consciousness.

Maka feels around her waist-her water pouch is still there but it's empty. Tentatively, she reaches upward and her hands run into something solid. It feels like a door but when she pushes against it, it refuses to budge. _Stay calm,_ she tells herself. _There has to be something that can help you._

She searches the space as thoroughly as she can possibly can. If they had more room, she and Blair might be able to force the door open but there is no extra space for them to maneuver.

She sighs, befuddled and frustrated in equal parts. Why had Rekan even attacked her in the first place? Her mind flickers back how he had stared at her markings. Was that it? But why would her being a chain interest him?

Her thoughts shift to Soul. Despite his insistence that he had whatever was plaguing him under control, it's been been very clear to her during their time together that he was not okay. And now he was alone and she was stuck in here.

She grits her teeth against the stinging in her eyes. Even though she knows it's in vain, she bangs against the door. "Let me out of here!"

Her fists beat against the air as her wish is answered. A girl with short, blonde hair peers down interestedly at Maka and Blair. "Look at the teeth on that kitten, sis," she chirps.

Maka squints, the light shining down on her making her eyes water.

"That's hardly a kitten, Patti," a long-haired blonde girl says, extending out her hand. "Give me a hand, Kid."

She opens her mouth to answer her but the boy next to the girl speaks. "I'm going, Liz." His hair is strange, black with three white stripes on one side. Together, they grab hold of Maka and pull her to her feet-her legs still feel weak as she steps out, Blair moving hastily to follow her. She glances around herself, surprised to find herself standing in a hidden crawlspace in the same room that Rekan had drugged her in.

Liz's grip tightens around Maka's wrist as she and Kid guide her to a couch. "Kid, look at her arms."

Kid glances down and then his face pales. "You're a chain too," he says, exchanging worried looks with his companions.

"How did you know that?" Maka asks suspiciously, pulling away from the two. She settles onto the couch, Blair positioning herself at her feet. "Who are you exactly?"

"This is just perfect," says Liz, throwing her hands into the air. "Add Black Star to the mix and we're one short of reviving the world's worst nightmare."

She gapes at the three, truly confused now. "Wait a minute, how do you know Black Star?"

Kid looks at her in bewilderment. "How do _you_ know Black Star?"

"We're childhood friends," she answers shortly. "What's he doing here?"

It's a long story." Kid pauses. "But the main point of it is that he's looking here for his guardian."

"Sid?" she says, alarmed. "But why would he be here?"

"Because the Order of Asura took him," Kid answers.

"Order of Asura?" she repeats.

"Don't you know who they are?" Kid asks. "They did bring you here."

"I know of them but they didn't bring me here." Maka brushes her hair back, which has come loose. "I came here with a friend."

"Why?"

She decides to answer vaguely. "He was looking for something."

"Is he a chain too?" Patti asks.

She shakes her head and the tension in the air eases slightly. "But why are you so concerned about that? Do you know what's going on here?"

Kid hesitates before answering. "Yes."

Liz laughs humorlessly and flings herself onto the cushion next to Maka. "Why not tell her? It's not like we're going anywhere."

* * *

Maka stares into space, fingers wrapping against tufts of Blair's fur as she digests Kid's words. Since stepping into this temple less than an hour ago, her life had sunk to rock-bottom in one fell swoop. She looks up at Kid. "So we're here to make a portal for Asura so he can take your place?"

"Essentially. But it might not work since there is no fire chain," he says. "And you're sure your friend isn't a firebender?"

She shakes her head. "We both come from the water tribes."

"Well, that's a small miracle," Liz says. "But what do we do about our current problem?"

Kid's eyes sweep across the room. "I don't know. There's no way of opening the door without a key and there are no windows. And this room isn't made of earth either so I can't bend us out of here." His shoulders slump. "I don't think there is a way out."

"No." Maka stands, looking up. "There is a way."

He follows her gaze to the air vent high above them. "Of course!"

"But are we going to fit?" Liz asks skeptically.

"I'll check." Kid takes a few steps backwards and then moves his hands in circles, creating an air ball. Balancing on top of it, he scales the wall and pauses at the vent, knocking away the vent's metal covering with a sharp blast of air. "It'll be tight but we'll make it," he says as he lands on his feet. "Hopefully we'll be able to find the others once we make it out of here."

"Sis, you go up first," Patti says. "I'll toss Maka up to you."

Maka rises, feeling Blair's head psuh against her hip. She bends so she's looking the polar lion in the eyes. "You're not going to be able to come with us but I promise we'll come back for you."

Blair huffs and presses her forehead to Maka's, tail twitching uneasily.

"Ready?" Patti asks. On her knees rests her interlocked hands palm up. "Climb on."

Giving Blair a final pat, Maka stands and places her foot on Patti's hands gingerly, eyeing the thirty feet between her and Liz's outstretched arms. "This something you've done before?"

"Nope," she answers cheerfully. With a strength Maka wouldn't have expected from her, Patti launches her into the air.

Liz's hands lock around Maka's wrists. "Gotcha," she says with a grunt, yanking her into the air vent. "Watch your head."

Maka shakily laughs her jitters away as she crawls forward. "Your sister's pretty strong."

"That's putting it lightly." She snorts. "She's more restrained now actually. You should have seen her when we lived on the streets."

"But you're airbenders, right?" Maka says curiously. She looks back at Patti, who's joined them. "Wouldn't you have lived with the monks?"

"It's a long story," Liz replies. "And one I don't prefer to relive. But we're here so it ended happily." She pauses. "Well, if we weren't on the verge of a global apocalypse, it would be a happy ending."

"We met Kid when we tried to rob an air temple," Patti adds. "Do you remember that, Kid?" she calls from over her shoulder.

He chuckles as they slowly make their way forward. "How could I not? The looks on your faces when you found out who I was were priceless."

"As was yours when we cornered you," Liz retorts. She stops when they come to a fork in their path. "Right or straight?"

"What do you see?" Kid asks.

She twists her head and squints to the right. "It's a vent. I think it leads to another room."

"Let's try that one," Maka says. "We can't go too far since we still have to go back for Blair."

"Fine by me." Liz starts to crawl again. "My back is killing me." She kicks open the vent with a kick and drops down on the floor. "Come on."

Maka edges out and lets herself go, Liz catching her easily. She glances around the room. It looks exactly like the room they were in, save for the one inhabitant snoring loudly in the corner. Her eyes widen in surprise. "You!"

Kid and Patti land somewhere behind her. "What is it?"

She points at the stirring man on the couch. "I've seen him before, we ran into each other at the North Pole!"

The man's eyes open and she recoils. While one of them is perfectly normal, the other has strange symbols where his iris should be, the words "No Future" tattooed above the eye. "Oh, no," he says, frowning as he gets to his feet. He stands in front of the door and fidgets, a strangely guilty expression on his face. "As a former prisoner, I really hate to do this." At the top of his lungs, he yells, "They've escaped!"

Instantly, Patti lashes out and he flies sideways into the wall. However, the blow does absolutely nothing to the man. He gets up right away, looking barely pained.

"That should have broken his legs," Liz exclaims.

"Never mind that, move!" Kid says, throwing up a wall of fire around the man as they sprint to the door.

"Which way?" Maka asks, looking up and down the hallway. Beneath her feet, the ground trembles and from the far end of the hallway appears some of the strangest humanoid creatures she has ever seen. They have skulls for faces and appear to be seemingly made out of bricks.

"Not these golem things again!" Liz grabs her with one hand and Patti with the other, hauling them away from the approaching golems. "Hurry up," she calls to Kid, who is soldering the door shut with fire. "We've got company."

A net flies high above their heads and Patti pulls free from Liz, whipping a duststorm to blast the net away from the three. She sends it flying toward the golems and whirls around to catch up to others.

"Good thinking, Patti," Kid calls, taking the lead. "Come on, I can feel the exit up this way."

"But we can't leave Soul or Black Star behind," Maka protests fiercely. "And I still need to find Blair."

"If we stay here, then we'll be caught for sure," he replies. "I don't like it either but we can't get captured again."

"Sis and I could go look for them," Patti offers. "They don't want us."

"No," Kid says adamantly. "We stay together."

Maka yanks her arm from Liz as they enter the entrance hall. "Then I guess you're staying with me because I'm not leaving without Blair or my friends."

"No one's leaving," a voice says from above them. An old man sitting on top of a flying top hat descends from the ceiling. The hat hovers twenty feet in front of them. He gives a bow. "Welcome, I am Mosquito."

"Enough of the niceties," a voice growls from near the entrance. Maka doesn't recognize the blond man with piercings all over his face stepping from the shadows, a row of human-sized golems following him mechanically. Beside her, she feels Liz stiffen. "They know you're not here to invite them for tea, old man."

"My dear boy," Mosquito says stiffly. "If you knew anything about the subject at all, you'd know I am merely being civil."

"Why don't you say that closer to me?" the man says threateningly, shoes beginning to whir weirdly.

"Are you really going to fight like this in front of them?" a silver-haired woman says with a sigh, appearing beside Giriko. "It makes us look bad." In her hands, she juggles what to be appears to be tadpole-shaped explosives. She looks beyond the four fugitives. "About time you showed up, Free."

"Sorry, Eruka. I got delayed for a second there." The man from the North Pole emerges from behind the four, yawning widely.

"This just keeps on going from bad to worse, doesn't it?" Liz says as she and the others form a tight circle, closing ranks.

"There absolutely is no need for any bloodshed today," Mosquito says. "Unless you'd like to see your animals in pain."

On Maka's left, Kid stiffens. "You have Beelzebub?"

"A remarkable flier, that one," Mosquito says. "He could have gotten away but he didn't seem so eager to leave the badgermole behind. Rest assured that both are safe, however." He turns to Maka. "Your saber-toothed polar lion is fine as well."

Her hands curl into fists. "What do you want?"

"Simply for you to return to your room," he says smoothly. "Tomorrow is going to be a busy day."

A familiar voice cracks like thunder. "Tomorrow's not happening for you, old man!"

* * *

"That many, huh?" Stein pulls down the telescope from his face as the ships finish their circling of Ember Island. "They pulled out all the stops for our arrival. I'm touched."

"I'm a man who prefers flowers," Sid says, sharpening his knife. "And that's an understatement, I counted at least a hundred of those monsters."

"Well, it wouldn't be fun if we weren't the underdogs," Stein replies wryly. "They appear to have the ports and all the main beaches guarded. But I wonder how many they have guarding the interior of the island."

"What should we do, Commander?" Joe calls from the helm. "Our boats can't keep circling the island."

"I thought I told you not to call me that."

"I promised not to call you that during peacetime. This sure looks like a war to me."

"The matter remains," Marie interjects, coming on Stein's other side, "That we need to decide what to do. I'm surprised they haven't started ambushing us yet."

He thinks for a moment. "Make for the landing area closest to the temple."

"With all due respect, Commander, but that's the most heavily guarded area," Joe says. "And we aren't even large enough for a company."

Stein turns, locking eyes with the lieutenant. "The golems haven't taken the island hostage for nothing. We take our chances."

Joe stares back for a moment and then he nods. "Yes, sir."

He smirks. Being called sir was better than being called commander.

Sid blows out a breath. "I just hope Black Star hasn't gotten caught up in anything too bad." He taps his hands against the railing restlessly before pulling away from the group. "Think I'm going to go check on Kim and Jackie, let them know we're almost here."

Marie and Stein stand in silence while the ship changes course. "Think we'll make it in time?" she asks.

"Maybe." Stein studies the golems. They look almost docile, motionless as statues.

He's sure they won't be that way when they come closer.

* * *

"We've already been this way, Black Star."

He continues to open doors, ignoring Tsubaki's words.

"Black Star."

"We're not leaving until we find him," he growls, step quickening to match his heartbeat. He groans in exasperation when he comes to the last room in the basement and finds nothing. He whirls around, mumbling to himself, "We'll just have to search again."

Tsubaki's hand wraps around his and she blocks his way with her body. "Black Star!"

"What?" He won't meet her eyes because he knows what he'll see.

"We've been through this entire temple," she says. "Sid is not here."

He squeezes his eyes shut before his anger abruptly deflates. "Then where is he, Tsubaki?"

"I don't know." She rubs his hand with her thumb. "But we're not going to stop until we find him."

The sound of a fast approaching voice makes the two freeze up.

Tsubaki recovers first. "In here," she whispers, pulling Black Star into one of the rooms. They close the door and lean against it, listening intently.

"That's two of the brats," someone says. "The other two shouldn't be so difficult to track down."

Shock runs through Black Star as he recognizes the lazy drawl of Giriko's voice. The palm of Tsubaki's hand presses against his mouth, muffling his gasp, while she puts a finger to her lips with the other, nodding to show she recognized him as well.

"The earth chain is here for certain. As well as a possible candidate for the fire chain," an unfamiliar voice says in response as the pair's footsteps echo down the hallway. "The problem will be keeping them quiet until noon tomorrow."

"We can manage them," Giriko says scornfully. "As well as that pathetic army Stein's coming with."

Black Star isn't sure if it's a blessing or a curse that Giriko decides to stop in front of the room they're hiding in. He trembles with barely suppressed rage, the urge to yank open the door and beat Sid's location out of him all but impossible to resist.

"Stein is a great warrior," the voice says nervously. "It'd be best not to underestimate him."

"He's gotten old," he sniffs. "Trust me, by the end of tomorrow, the chains will have made the portal, the rightful Avatar will be back in this world and the upstart will be gone." He begins to walk again, shoes clinking against the earthen floor. "Let's go."

Black Star and Tsubaki share stunned looks. Her hand falls to her side. "It's worse than I imagined."

He speaks. "We have to get to Kid."

She nods and then her face pales. "Maka is a chain. They probably have her as well."

Fresh anger boils in his blood and Black Star yanks the door open, unconcerned about whoever he hears him. "Come on." He runs down the hallway and back up the stairs. He is so single-minded on his task that he doesn't even notice when he's ran into someone until he's stumbles back into Tsubaki.

A white-haired boy around his age glares at him, cradling a bag. "Watch it!"

Black Star grabs him and shoves him against a wall. The boy struggles, managing to strike a forceful punch to his jaw before Black Star pins him to the wall. He stares him down, saying, "You're with the Order. Where's Kid and Maka?"

"Kid? Who ar-" The boy cuts off mid-sentence, eyes going round. "Wait, what's happened to Maka?"

He loosens his grip on the boy slightly. "You know Maka?"

"We met during her trip to the North Pole, we're traveling together," the boy answers. He squints at Black Star and then looks to Tsubaki. "Wait, you're her friends from the Earth Kingdom, aren't you? Black Star and Tsubaki?"

Black Star gives him a hard look before letting go of him. "So you're not lying."

"Of course not," the boy snaps, swinging the bag across his back. "Now what happened to Maka?"

Tsubaki steps forward. "We're not too sure of the details ourselves but we can fill you in on what we know while we search for Maka and Kid."

Black Star offers his hand by way of apology. "You pack a mean punch."

"Soul," the boy introduces himself, taking his hand. "You have a pretty good chokehold."

* * *

_They've come just in the nick of time,_ he thinks as Black Star and Tsubaki vault themselves over the second floor railing to the hall below while Soul follows them from the stairs. He slams his hands into the ground as he lands and it explodes with a resounding crack. Water from burst pipes rain down while a shockwave allows the four cornered by the Order to strike.

Kid, Liz and Patti race forward, effortlessly forming into a trio against Giriko's golems while Tsubaki detaches from his side to engage with a silver-haired woman throwing smoke bombs left and right. Maka lashes out with an ice scythe against Giriko while Soul has joined her, brandishing a broken pipe against a burly, wolflike man.

Black Star makes a beeline for Mosquito, who remains in the same spot as he had been before the fighting broke out. He crosses his arms as he approaches. "Didn't I tell you that you would regret that day, my dear boy?"

"The only thing I regret is not killing you that day," he retorts. The entire temple quivers as he lifts his hands, pushing his bending to the limit. A piece of the staircase behind Mosquito lifts from the ground with a groan and with a push of his arms, he deposits it onto Mosquito, who has no time to move before it crushes him.

Black Star lets his hands fall to his sides, feeling almost disappointed. That had been easier than he thought it was going to be.

Mosquito's laugh comes from beneath the staircase. "My dear boy." The staircase rises from the ground, Mosquito holding it up with one hand while the other brushes the dirt from his suit. He is not the old man he was before but instead has the appearance of a gaunt young man with slicked back hair. He grins, revealing a small pair of fangs. "Did you really think something like this would hurt me?"

He hurls the staircase towards him as if it weighed no more than a feather.

"Duck!" Black Star yells.

Both friend and foe dive out of the staircase's way and it crashes through the front doors, crushing two golems.

Through the rubble, Black Star stumbles forward, trying and failing to sense Mosquito.

"Through here!" Kid's voice sounds far away. "Hurry!"

"You had to provoke him." Tsubaki appears from nowhere. She drags Black Star outside by his collar. "Could you try being concerned for your survival for once?"

"If it hadn't been for me, we wouldn't be escaping," he points out as they run.

They're the last ones out of the temple, the others far ahead. At the temple ground's boundary, stands Maka, who wears a stubborn look on her face as she argues with Kid. Soul is at her side while both Patti and Liz look impatient to be gone.

"I'm not leaving without Blair," she is saying as they come within earshot.

Kid tries to reason with her. "We have to leave behind our animals too-"

"What do you mean by we?" Black Star interrupts. He looks around. "Where's Shadow?"

"She got-"

"No." He can't even feel Shadow through their link, which means she's knocked out or worse. A cold rage dances in his bones as he turns around. "We're going back."

The ground shakes as a golem, as large as the one that attacked them outside Loew, appears. In the distance, the four members of the Order appear in the ruined entrance.

"Watch out!" Soul yells as a boulder from the golem comes flying their way.

"No, they can't be killed," Mosquito bellows as the four run to the seven.

"And they won't be, old man," Giriko yells as he activates the saws on his feet. "But roughing them up was never against the rules."

Black Star and Tsubaki move as one, rushing to meet the silver-haired woman and the burly man. While the woman is quick, the man is faster, managing to land him in a vicelike hold before Black Star kicks upward and sends a pillar of earth straight to his stomach.

The man is on his feet almost immediately. He grins. "Pain doesn't stop me, kid."

"Have some fun with this then," Black Star grunts, jabbing the air. Rocks bombard the man mercilessly. He makes a slicing motion as the man stumbles backwards, creating a ditch that he tumbles into. On the other side of the battle, Kid sends vicious air currents to Mosquito, who is bobbing above them; Tsubaki and Soul have teamed up against the woman. Liz and Patti run circles around the golem, trying to knock it off-balance while Maka has resumed her battle with Giriko.

The fight goes back and forth, one side temporarily gaining the advantage only to cede it to the other. Black Star huffs as he eyes his opponent, who has turned out to be a much more formidable foe than he appeared to be. They're both ready to drop at this point but neither refuses to give up. _One fumble_, he thinks, waiting for him to move. _Just one._

A strangled cry breaks his concentration and he looks over his shoulder involuntarily.

Maka lies on the ground, her scythe out of reach and Giriko's saw foot resting just above her face. "No one move," he orders. "Or she'll be permanently scarred."

Soul comes at Giriko so quickly from behind that no one has time to warn him, lashing out with a fire blast. "Get off of her!"

Giriko lands on his back with a thud and Soul pulls Maka to her feet. "Are you okay?"

"You're a firebender," she says in a daze.

Mosquito speaks. "The fire chain!" His words shatter the trance that came over the two groups, fighting breaking out again.

As he joins Liz and Patti, Kid yells to Maka, "I thought you said he was from the water tribe!"

Black Star raises his foot and slams it against the ground, opening a trench in the golem's path. "Can we focus on not dying?"

"Good idea," a familiar voice says.

Black Star's jaw goes slack and he turns, not believing his ears.

Sid claps him on his shoulder, soldiers dressed in blue sprinting past him. "Nice to see you're alive, son."

* * *

The smell of meat roasting prompts Oni to stick his head out of Soul's bag, mewling pitifully at Soul.

"Not here, dummy," he hisses, shoving Oni's head back in the bag. He stands up and walks away from the fire with feigned nonchalance, looking left and right to make sure no one is looking his way. Luckily for him, Stein's soldiers are running around, setting up camp. Stein himself is nowhere to be seen, having disappeared in his tent with a blonde-haired woman wearing an eye patch and a man who carried a cup filled with a foul-smelling liquid.

Black Star and Tsubaki are somewhere with Sid while the last he saw of Kid, Liz and Patti, they had been dragged off by two firebending girls. The two had been the ones who burned down most of the temple with some of the most explosive fire bombs he'd ever seen, giving their side the chance to retreat. He makes a mental note to talk with them later- his bending is child's play compared to theirs.

He has no absolutely no idea where Maka could be; he had been too intent on listening to Kid's story as they made their escape and she'd disappeared from their group when they made camp. Ignoring his sinking heart, he wanders just outside of camp's boundaries and settles against a tree. He opens his bag to find a very disgruntled Oni attempting to breathe fire, puffing out nothing but air.

"Hey there." Soul scoops up the dragon, no bigger than his forearm. Oni does not take kindly to being held, the flaps around his face fanning out as he tries to bite Soul.

"You're a lot more crankier than earlier." He raises Oni to his face and gazes at his scales shining in the dying sunlight, all black save for the spiny red scales running down his spine. "I am the one who's going to be feeding you, just so you know." The dragon hacks a rebellious cough at Soul, bringing up a little hot air this time, but stops trying to bite him. His head droops down on Soul's arm and he whines again, a rumble from his stomach accompanying him.

"Oh no." The truth of his words hits him. "I have to feed you."

"Soul?"

Oni yelps as Soul shoves him rudely back into the bag, tiny limbs thrashing. "Please stay quiet," he pleads.

"I'm here," he calls in a louder voice, blocking the bag with his body.

Maka appears, carrying a plate filled with food. "Who are you talking to?"

"Just myself," he says.

She frowns before shrugging. "Everyone's eating now so if you want to join us, you can."

"I'm fine, thanks," he says brightly as his stomach gives a loud growl.

Her frown deepens. "All right." She turns and begins to walk away. "If you don't want to talk about it with me, that's perfectly fine."

"Wait!" He tries to grab her elbow but ends up accidentally tugging on her water pouch. She stumbles and her plate falls to the ground, food flying everywhere. She twists around, fire burning in her eyes. "What is it, Soul?"

"I'm sorry," he says quickly.

She repeats herself. "What, Soul?"

He can't quite meet her eyes. "I didn't think not telling you I'm a firebender would bother you that much."

"It's not that," she says stiffly, kneeling down to pick up the spilled food. "At least not just that." She stops, still not looking at him. "How could you not tell me you were a chain too?"

"Chain?" He raises his heads, confused. "No, that Mosquito guy didn't know what he was talking about. I _am_ a firebender but I'm not a chain."

"Don't lie," she snaps. She puts the plate to one side and sits on the ground, gesturing to his chest. "I can see the marks."

"What?" He glances down, eyes growing round at the sight of scale markings, exactly like Oni's, peeking out from underneath his shirt. He pulls his collar forward, tracing them down as they trail in diagonal path down to his hip. "Where did these come from?"

""Don't try that with me." Maka folds her arms, eyes narrowing. "How'd you cover them up while we were traveling? And where's your animal?"

"I didn't hide them. They just appeared today," he insists. "And I didn't find my animal till today. I honestly thought all of this was in my head," he says, thoughts flickering back to the dragon in his bag. He knows it's too good to be true that his problems in his mind started and ended with Oni. He has a lot to sort out before he can even think about what being a chain meant for him. "If a spirit chain is what I really am, then the universe has chosen terribly."

"Don't say that." She bites her lip, the hurt and anger in her eyes fading. "I knew you were suffering," she says, uncrossing her arms and tugging on a pigtail dejectedly. "If I had just seen more clearly, I could have helped you."

"You have helped me." He scratches his head. It makes him squirm internally to even refer to his problems but the look on Maka's face pains him more. "You and Blair kept me me from losing it these past few weeks."

She finally meets his eyes. "Really?"

He nods. "More than you know."

"All right." She begins to smile but stops suddenly and jabs a finger at his face. "But don't you even think about trying to hide something like what you've gone through from me ever again, okay?"

"Okay, okay." He raises his hands in surrender, rolling his eyes. "I promise."

"Smart of you to do," she says with a satisfied smile. "So." She casts a quizzical look around him. "Where is your animal?"

Soul brings the bag from behind him, saying, "Her-" He stops, looking into nothing but an empty pack. He jumps to his feet. "Oni?"

"You named your animal after a demon spirit?" she says, standing to join him in his search.

"It was his choice, not mine," he says as he sweeps leaves out of the way, looking for any sign for where the dragon could have wandered off. "He has strong opinions."

"I'm sure," she says "And what exactly does this..."

Soul looks up when she trails off into silence, following her wide-eyed gaze to where Oni is gorging himself with her spilled food. "You!" He scrambles and grabs Oni just as he snaps up the last of the meat. He fixes him with a glare to which the newborn dragon is happily indifferent, yawning contentedly. "I have no idea if any of that is good for you."

"He's a dragon," Maka says wonderingly, standing next to them. Oni chuffs grumpily when she strokes his head but he doesn't try to bite her like he did with Soul. "I thought they were extinct."

"So did I." Stein's voice comes from nowhere.

He steps from the shadows, gaze fixed on Oni. "I think it's time we talked."

* * *

The inside of Stein's tent is exactly what Soul expects of the eccentric commander. He picks up a jar of one of Stein's shelves and eyes the creature floating inside of the green liquid.

"Don't touch that."

He fumbles with the jar, almost dropping it. "Can't you make some noise or something before you speak?" He scowls at Stein, placing the it back on the shelf. "That's the second time you've nearly stopped my heart today."

"But where would be the fun in that?" he replies as he closes the tent flaps. He turns with a ghost of a smile on his face. "What you were holding there is a specimen of a rare species of elephant rat, by the way."

"If it's rare then doesn't that make it endangered?" Soul asks. "Meaning you should have left it alive?"

"And have it end up in the stomach of an eagle hawk?" Stein walks past him and takes a seat behind a severely overladen desk, smile widening. "Better to collect for posterity now than never having a record of them in the first place." He motions to the cushion in front of him. "Please, make yourself comfortable."

"I hope you don't feel the same way about dragons,' he says as he sits.

"Oh, I could never kill a dragon," he says, gaze moving to where Oni sleeps on Soul's shoulder. "What a fascinating creature. Look at those scales." He leans forward, a hint of longing in his voice. "Anyways," he says, taking off his glasses and wiping them clean. "I believe you said his name was Oni?"

"That's right." At the sound of his name, Oni stirs awake, lazily opening one eye. He yawns disdainfully, scrutinizing Stein.

"He's been looking for you for a long time, hasn't he?" he says, replacing the glasses on his face.

"You knew." Soul narrows his eyes, his suspicions confirmed. "When you visited me last year."

"I had only suspected before that. But even after I knew, I had to tread lightly," Stein says. "At first, I wasn't sure if it was you or your brother but as time went on and neither of you showed any sign of bending ability whatsoever, I thought I'd been mistaken entirely. And then when I saw you firebend last year and I knew it was you."

"But the chain could have been any firebender," he says. "How did you even know the chain was one of us in the first place?"

"Do you remember what I told you that day?" Stein asks.

"Not all of it," Soul hedges.

"On the day the spirit world opened, there were strange effects on some of the people who were near the portal." He places his elbows on the desk, sending piles of papers sliding off. "Marie, the lightning bender you saw earlier, was one of those people. On solstices, messenger spirits can temporarily possess her. It's become a mode of communication between our side and the spirit world. That's how we haven't been completely wiped out already." He pauses. "That's how we knew we had to hide your family away."

He goes still with shock. "My family?"

"By now, I hope it's obvious that you're not originally from the water tribe," Stein says. "Your parents were part of the Fire Nation's nobility. You were a few months old when I convinced them to go into hiding." He shakes his head. "I had to spin them quite the story. They're still convinced the Fire Lord is angry with them."

"Are they safe now?" he demands. Oni headbutts Soul's face in alarm of his sudden change in mood.

Stein doesn't answer right away. "They're not the ones who need protecting at the moment seeing as they're not who the Order is after and everything points to most, if not all, of the Order being on Ember Island."

Soul strokes Oni's head as he digests this information. "So what are we doing now?"

"You've been caught up on the present situation," he answers. "Our ships were destroyed when we came here and with them, our means of escaping."

"So we're done for," Soul states flatly.

"Not necessarily. Fortunately for us, the Order is not what it used to be," Stein says. "As long as we can make it through noon tomorrow, the biggest crisis will be averted." He stands. "I suggest getting some rest. We're going to be moving soon."

* * *

Soul settles by the fire pit, stoking the dying fire back to life with a small flame from his fingers. He glances down at Oni, fast asleep in his arms. While the dragon isn't shivering, he feels much cooler since he hatched. Unsure if his temperature is normal for a newborn dragon, he shifts closer to the fire-if they survive tomorrow, he's going to have to find someone who can teach him to properly care for a dragon.

"Here," Maka's voice startles him. She stops in front of him and holds out a lumpy and shapeless blanket, crudely stitched together.

He recognizes it as her old parka. Or rather what's left of it. Her face is pink in the firelight. "I made it for Oni. Well, Tsubaki helped when it started coming out weird. Black Star laughed when he saw it but it's a lot warmer than anything else here."

"And that's what counts." He takes the blanket, swathing it around Oni. The dragon burrows into the blanket without waking, tail curling up serenely. "Thanks," he says she takes a spot next to him. He looks back down at Oni. "Because I have no idea what I'm doing."

"We were all there once." She smiles. "You'll get the hang of it."

"I sure hope so."

The smile lingers on her face for another moment before fading away. She stares into the fire somberly, twisting her hair around her finger.

He can guess what's on her mind. "Nothing from Blair?"

"Not a thing," she sighs, hand dropping to her side. "We've never been apart from each other for more than a few hours since we chained. It feels wrong to feel nothing from her." Her eyes turn glassy. "I just want to know if she's okay."

The quaver in her voice alarms him. "They're not going to hurt her while they're trying to find us," he says, touching her hand. "Once tomorrow is over, we'll find a way to rescue her."

"If we get through tomorrow." She rests her head on her arms but flips her hand to hold his.

Soul frowns-Wes had been the sibling to be born with innate comforting skills but he has a sinking feeling that even if Wes were here, there was nothing he or anyone could say to help Maka feel better. But he also knows if he doesn't say something soon, she'll hide behind fake cheeriness and optimism. So he says the first thing to spring in his mind. "What does the South Pole look like?"

Her brow furrows in confusion but she answers. "There's four major vill-well, I guess they're more like small cities now. They were working on a road to connect them when I left, it might be done by now."

"And your home?"

"When I was little, it was tiny. Just a handful of igloos gathered together," she says. "But after just before my uncle died, the trading business really started to pick up." The respect in her tone is grudging. "Papa did a good job of managing the trade and had the whole city renovated before we left for the North Pole. It's not grand like the capital but you have everything you need." She adds, "Though the southern lights are incredible to watch at night. We have a festival for them in the winter."

"Sounds like something I need to see for myself." Soul shifts Oni to better support his head, the light snores issuing from his mouth fluttering momentarily. "Though I think I'll warm up on a beach somewhere in the Fire Nation before I go," he says. "Maybe go check out Ba Sing Se's fashion district, get myself a late birthday present."

"Birthday?" she asks. "Is it that soon?"

"Tomorrow."

"You're joking."

Soul shakes his head. "I wish I was."

"Wow," she says.

"Definitely not the best way to spend a birthday," he says. "Though the dragon kinda makes up for it."

"Imagine what it'll be like when he's able to fly." She leans toward Soul, reaching out to brush Oni's spine.

"You can find out when he's ready," he offers. Swiftly, he tacks on, "Not to say you have to stay with us till then. I could probably find you easily enough in the South Pole."

"I can't say I'm looking forward to talking with Papa again anytime soon," she says with a small smile. Her hand squeezes around his, the troubled look on her face disappearing completely for the moment. "Traveling for a while sounds good."

* * *

Mosquito catches sight of the parrot-frog first, a silver blur in the night. Eruka extends her arm when it reaches her and the parrot-frog disappears as it touches her fingers.

Giriko stirs restlessly. "How many soldiers?"

"One hundred," she answers. "Gopher is also there with them."

"That explains how we were found," Mosquito says, looking away from the glow of the fire coming from Stein's camp. "We will deal with him later."

"Or right now." Giriko rubs his hands together in anticipation. "My golems can take care of them."

"As we saw earlier when that lightning bender took down _your_ golem with a single strike," he observes. "The only thing attacking now would do is scatter the chains and make our task even harder to complete."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Giriko growls.

Mosquito pushes down on the flicker of irritation that sweeps through him, pushing back his hair. The urge to sink his teeth in Giriko's neck and leave him bloodless would be overwhelming save for the fact he'd die first before letting the blood of a human like Giriko touch his lips.

"Free."

The spirit flinches from where he leaned against a tree, dropping the wood carving in his hands. "Yes?"

"How have your abilities held up over the years?"

"They're a little rusty," Free says cautiously. "But I can use them."

"Go to the Four Points by the river," Mosquito orders. He turns to address Eruka. "Go with him and deliver the animals there. Free will trap them and keep them hidden until we gather the chains." He faces the fire again. "Act only when Eruka gives the signal and not a moment sooner. If you're successful, then both of your jobs will be finished and we will never have to meet again."

Both Eruka and Free nod keenly before leaving the clearing.

"And me?" Giriko demands.

"Tonight is a night for stealth, which is not a skill you possess," Mosquito responds coldly. "But fear not, tomorrow your time will come."

* * *

Medusa lowers her hands, watching her snakes crawl out of the bog and into the grass. She ignores the high-pitched whine only she can hear coming from the nearby maze of caves she calls home.

Arachne's voice drips with feigned admiration. "I must say, you've truly outdone yourself this time, dear sister."

"I always go the distance for my experiments," she replies, sweeping her hair back. "And this one may prove to be the greatest one yet."

Asura drops down from a tree, landing on his feet noiselessly. "I am not an experiment."

"Oh, but you are. The most perfect one." She bends down and picks up one of her snakes with ease even though it's as long as her body. "Seeing you these past weeks confirmed something I suspected long ago."

"And that is?"

She doesn't bother hiding her smile. "You have no soul anymore. It's rotted, disintegrated, gone," she answers, examining the snake's fangs. She sets it back on the ground, wiping her hands on her dress. "If you try to cross over to earth now, your body would be unable to endure the stain of crossing the two worlds and you would most likely turn into dust."

Utter shock wipes Asura's face clean of his confidence. He charges at her suddenly, roaring, "Why wouldn't you tell me something like this?"

"I wasn't aware I had to report to you." Medusa laughs as a net of spider silk tangles his feet and he stumbles to the ground. "If it wasn't apparent by now, let me make it clear: I don't care about what happens to you, I care about how it happens."

"Calm, Asura," Arachne says, stepping between the two. Her gaze flicks to Medusa, violet eyes flashing with repressed rage. "I agree, however, why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"And cause my eldest sister and her favorite to worry?" she says. Her eyes widen. "That would be downright cruel of me."

A bite of impatience creeps into Arachne's voice. "Enough games."

"I'm hurt that you think I'm not taking this seriously," Medusa says, placing a hand on her chest. "Rest assured that when you hear when you hear the intriguing solution I have to Asura's little problem, you'll see I am taking this very seriously."

"And what is that?" Asura spits, wrenching himself free of Arachne's webs.

"It's quite simple, really. All you need to do is find a body to possess." She smiles. "An Avatar's body preferably."

The rage on his face drains away and Asura's smile returns. "I see."

"So glad to hear that," she says, turning away. "Now you prepare for tomorrow. And if you'll excuse me, I have to attend to something."

* * *

"Crona." Medusa rolls away the stone and looks down on the dragon spirit huddled in the middle of the underground cavern. "What did I say about making noise when company is over?"

Crona's tail swings back and forth repentantly, pink scales gleaming dully in the light. They cough, only smoke coming from their mouth.

She frowns at the color of Crona's scales. "I've told you this a thousand times. If you don't like the dark, you know what you have to do. It's very simple." She snaps her fingers and one of her snakes comes crawling forth, carrying a trembling rabbit spirit. "I am going to be generous and give you another chance to show that you're willing to prove yourself."

The dragon lets out a groan and burrows their head into his claws, pink scales beginning to bleed black.

It gives Medusa hope at first but when Crona continues to sulk while the petrified rabbit spirit hops in circles around the dragon, she frowns at them in disgust. "If that's how you're going to act, then I have no interest in staying here." She steps back from the entrance and starts to roll the rock back in place. There's a terrified scream as it slips closed and then the crack of bone.

She pauses and grins. "There now." She pushes back the rock and lets the light shine on Crona. They're a shadow in the darkness, save for the blood staining the dragon's teeth red. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"


	12. Chapter 12

10,203 A.A.-Summer Solstice

* * *

"Azusa!"

The spirit jerks awake from the doze she had fallen in. Kirikou comes running up to her from the forest he and the nature spirits dwell in. She stands, easily reading the look on his face. "They're on the move, aren't they?" She gets to her feet as Kirikou comes to a halt in front of her. "Medusa and Arachne."

He nods, panting. "Asura is with them." He straightens, gloves clinking from where they hang around his waist. "Mifune spotted them first. It looks like they're marching to the plains by Hai-Riyo Peak."

"You sent the twins to alert the others?" she asks.

"They're going to stay with Mabaa's clan when they're done," he says, nodding again. "They're too young to be fighting."

"I agree. We'll wait for the spirits to gather here." Azusa straightens her glasses, setting her eyes on the distant mountain peak shrouded in fog. "Then we march."

* * *

The soft whisper of the river flowing downstream settles soothingly in Kid's ears and lulls him into a calm he hasn't felt for weeks. He sits cross-legged and breathes in and out, falling deeper into that sense of peace that comes over him when he meditates.

It scatters when Liz grabs his arm and forces him down.

He splutters as he tastes dirt, attempting to lift his head only for Liz to force him back down. Twisting his head so he can breathe, he spits out, "What is the meaning of this?"

"I'm sorry but they're doing it again," she yells as a wave of heat comes over Kid, the sizzle of fire right above them. "And with the newbie this time."

From a distance, Patti calls out, "Sorry, guys!"

Liz releases her grip on Kid's neck and he sits up to find Soul standing in front of them, breathing heavily. "Sorry," he says into between shallow breaths. "I wanted to try the move Kim was doing earlier and I think I overshot it."

"Think?" Black Star says as he and Tsubaki join them. He claps Soul on the shoulder and laughs. "If it wasn't for Liz, you would have blown him off the earth."

Tsubaki smacks his arm lightly. "Don't exaggerate."

"That's exactly what the blowtorch is supposed to do," Kim says, sauntering up with Jackie and Maka. "With the help of a airbender, a firebender can hit any target, no matter how far away." A wicked amusement lights her smile as she surveys Kid on the ground. "Haven't I always told you to be on your guard?"

"Hey Soul!" Black Star grabs the firebender by the arm, prompting an indignant screech from where Oni perches on his shoulder. "How about this time you set a rock on fire and we see how far me and Patti can launch it?"

"If you could do it that when our lives aren't in danger and away from anything flammable, that'd be great," Maka comments as she sweeps a wave of water from the river, putting out the small fires that had broken out around them.

"Well, what else are we going to do cooped up here?"

The conversation springing up around him becomes a dull buzz in Kid's ears. He detaches from the group and paces along the riverbank, his eyes trailing up to the sky again, where the sun is slowly climbing higher and higher to its zenith. His heart hammers, any remaining calm dissolving.

Patti plunks down beside him. "You're thinking too much."

"It's hard not to," he murmurs. "It's all I can do, in this situation." He pauses. "In every situation."

"That's a lie, you've done plenty." She tugs on the sleeve of his shirt. "Come on, come join us." she offers, pointing to where the others had gone. "It's almost lunch time."

He forces a smile. "Thanks, Patti, but until this is over, I don't think I'm good company for anyone right now."

Patti studies him with an inscrutable look on her face, looking very unlike her open and cheerful self. Then, she shrugs. "Good enough for me." She points to a cloud overhead. "Doesn't that one look like a giraffe?"

"What's a giraffe?"

"You've never heard of them before?" Patti exclaims. "Liz and I saw them in a zoo once. Here I'll draw one for you." She grabs a stick and begins to etch in the soft dirt of the riverbank, rapidly explaining as she draws.

Kid watches her as she furrows her brow in heavy concentration, intent on her creation.

"After all of this is over, we should go to the zoo together." Patti lets the stick fall to the side and points to the long-necked creature she drew, tilting her head thoughtfully. "I don't think it'll get better than this." She looks to Kid. "We'll see them together one day, okay?"

He smiles, feeling something ease in his chest. "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

A messenger calls them back to where they're stationed just inside the forest just before the sun reaches its peak. They come back to the camp to find it disassembled, Marie and Stein standing at the head of a group of soldiers. In his hands, Stein holds his trademark weapon, a black scythe that according to him was supposedly crafted when the earth first came into being; the twenty or so soldiers with him look nervous, scared even.

Kid notices the masked strain on his face. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Stein replies, glasses flashing in the harsh sunlight. He tightens his grip on the scythe. "At least nothing we can say, for sure."

"What can you say for sure?" Black Star demands.

"Some of the scouting groups that went out haven't come back yet," Marie answers. The way she adjusts her eye patch with twitching fingers betrays the false calm in her voice. "Which isn't necessarily bad news but staying any longer in this area might not be wise."

With that, they head deeper into the forest, chains grouped in the middle. While Stein moves to the front of the group. Marie stays with them. She gives them what Kid assumes is a reassuring smile. "How are you holding up?"

"Marvelously," Soul answers. He yelps when Maka gives him a swift chop on the head.

"I know this is something none of you asked to be part of but all of you are doing extremely well." Her smile fades. "Trust me when I say that we're doing everything to make sure we get through today in one piece."

On Kid's left, Tsubaki says, "Speaking of which, this wouldn't be a good place to be in if we had to fight."

"We're not looking for a fight today." Marie pushes back her hair. "The Order significantly outpowers us, if not in numbers then certainly in technology. Staying in this forest would force them to spread out so it's our best defense."

Kid speaks up. "And the soldiers that have gone missing?"

Ducking under a tree branch, Marie says, "We don't know if they've met with trouble or if they got lost." She gives a small laugh. "If I was with them, the latter would probably be the case. But Joe is leading them so it's probably nothing to be worried about."

"And when should we start to worry?" Maka asks.

"Now." Giriko's voice comes from one of the trees the chains are passing under as several small bombs go off.

Chaos ensues as people run to escape the smothering blanket of smoke the bombs let off. Kid attempts to flick the smoke away with wind but it's to no avail as more and more bombs are detonated by escaping members of the group. The subsequent shockwaves caused by the bombs cause him to backtrack, eyes stinging as he runs. Shielding his face with his hands, he feels a soft thump as he runs headfirst into someone, nearly falling backwards.

Marie steadies him, grime all over her face. "Are you hurt?" she yells over the uproar.

He shakes his head. "I'm fine."

"Good!" She pushes him away from the sounds of the fighting. "I've already sent Soul and Maka back to the river and I'm on my way to find Black Star. You go there too, find somewhere to hole up and stay safe."

"No, I want to help!" he shouts, fighting to be heard over the din. "You need every bender you can get."

"This is helping," Marie yells back. "It's too dangerous to be here, you could get caught too easily." She shoves him forward. "There's no more time for arguments, go now!"

An arm grab him from either side. "We've got him," Liz yells. Her clothes are singed as are Patti's and there is a nasty bruise forming on her cheek. "We'll keep him safe."

Marie looks from her to Patti on Kid's other side and nods. "Keep yourselves safe too," she calls as she turns back, hitching up her sleeves. A spark of white-blue lightning dances between her hands as her figure is rapidly swallowed up by the smoke.

Patti and Liz move Kid at an unforgiving pace. He doesn't protest but Liz reads his mood. "There was nothing else that you could do."

He stares down at the ground. "I have heard that too many times."

"Don't be-" She grips his arm suddenly. "Do you hear that?"

The sound of the bombs exploding has left Kid's ears ringing but even he can make out what has Liz suddenly on edge. The ravaged spirits' screams from when the three first met Black Star and Tsubaki mixed in with a group of golems' plodding footsteps grow in volume, echoing through the forest.

"Not these damn things again." Black Star appears out of nowhere, Tsubaki at his side. He looks at the three. "Where's everyone else?"

"Marie sent them this way," Kid answers. "By the river, most likely."

Patti tugs on Kid. "Let's keep moving." The five adjust their path according to the sounds of the spirits and golems, winding a different path when they get too close for comfort.

Strangely as they retreat, Kid gets a nagging feeling that they're being watched but no matter where he looks, he can see nothing out of place. Maka's voice greets them when they make it out of the forest. "Over here!"

She and Soul stand by a formation of four large boulders grouped at the edge of the river, which curves as it angles to the ocean. Both of them are covered in dust from the debris and have a few scrapes and bruises but look no worse than the rest of them.

Kid's sense of uneasiness increases in intensity as they join the pair, eating away at him. He glances around himself as the rest of the group swap stories-there is something off about the space around them. "Did you two see anything unusual on your way here?" he asks, interrupting Black Star.

Maka shakes her head while Soul replies, "Nothing _we_ can see." He looks at Oni, who hasn't stopped hissing in the time that Kid and the others joined them. "He's been on edge, though."

Kid follows the dragon's gaze, which is rooted on a point above their heads. Nothing seems amiss but then he catches something catching the light. He frowns. "Do you see that?" The others look up as a red flare lights up far away, above the forest.

"Gotcha!"

A feeling of being dunked in icy water envelopes Kid as luminescent green walls with bizarre symbols etched upon them spring up and seal around the group. Both Black Star and Maka cry out at the same moment and he joins them as the air clears. "Beelzebub!" He rushes to where the stirring air bison lays on the ground, scanning him for wounds. Other than looking extremely dazed, he seems fine, giving Kid a lick.

"I do believe this is where we part ways." Mosquito's voice sounds far off as he stands on top of the box they're trapped in, the sun above him reaching its peak. "Goodbye."

The symbols on the cube glow white and a strange sensation comes over Kid, as if he is being forced through a space much too small for him. His breath is squeezed from his lungs, a blinding light encompassing him until it invades every fiber of his being. When he thinks he can't possibly endure anymore, the light extinguishes itself.

The first thing he notices, hunched into the ground, is the smell. The air is different than the sea breeze on Ember Island; it's like the earth after a heavy rainfall, underscored by the heady scent of wild flora. He raises his head and forces his eyes open-he and the others are no longer by the river but somewhere else entirely. The grasses of the plain stretching out in front of him sway in time with a breeze, a mountain rising high into the sky in the distance.

Kid has never been here before but an ancient part of him recognizes the spirit world.

He feels someone brush his hand. "Look." Patti is on her feet, pointing.

Save for the scarves no longer wrapped around his neck, the figure standing across the field looks the same as he did in mural at the Fire temple. Two spirits are at their side, rows of large and grotesque snakes and spiders behind them.

Asura grins. "Welcome."

* * *

Free lets his arms drop to his waist. He nearly glances down at Mosquito before remembering his recent transformation. "That will only last until the end of midday," he warns.

Mosquito is unruffled. "It will be enough."

"Good." Free wrings his hands nervously and speaks before he could lose his nerve. "So does that mean I'm done now?"

"Yes, yes." Mosquito waves his hand, turning away. "You can tell Eruka she's done too. Of course, know you may be called back once Asura returns."

"Understood," Free says as he jumps off the box and running into the forest. He has no plans to answer that call ever.

He finds Eruka in the spot they agreed to meet. She lets out a loud ribbit when she sees him. "Well?"

"We're out of here," he calls. "Where do you want to go?"

She grins. "Anywhere but here."

* * *

Stein demolishes the screeching spirit in front of him with an almost lazy swing of his scythe. Beside him, Marie uses her lightning to shoot the spirits with frightening precision, halting them long enough for Stein to take care of them. "They keep on multiplying," she huffs. Sweat runs down the sides of her face. "They're going to outnumber us eventually."

He scans the area behind him and whistles once and is immediately answered back by his soldiers with whistles of their own. He glances to Marie. "Stay close, I'm cutting us a path out of here." He rounds up the soldiers one by one, guiding them out of the forest via the path of least resistance. A blinding beam of light flares into the sky as they finally exit the forest.

Murmurs of wonder and panic burst from the soldiers; Sid comes up next to Stein, dread in his voice. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes," he says. He wipes the blade of his scythe clean and looks to what remains of his soldiers. "We need to get over there now." Despite looking on the verge of collapse, they rapidly set themselves in formation and follow Stein as they head in the direction of the light, taking care to skirt the forest.

They are just over the halfway mark when a tree groans and comes crashing down in front of them. "Sorry," Giriko says, emerging from the forest. At least fifteen full-sized golems follow him out; they tower nearly as tall as the trees. "I meant to kill you."

"We can take care of him," Marie says, Kim and Jackie stepping forward. She gestures to Stein and the rest. "You go ahead."

"I'm afraid that won't be able to happen." Mosquito steps from the forest as well and joins Giriko. "We've worked too hard to fail now." His eyes glow red and his face begins bubble, nose elongating.

Marie sinks into position. "Go now," she says sharply.

Instead, Stein takes his place beside her. He readies his scythe. "I wouldn't be able to help over there anyways."

Marie sighs but doesn't protest, the tips of fingers crackling as she summons up lightning. "You stubborn fool."

* * *

As the ability to feel more than the burning light the portal blazed into her skin returns to her, Maka becomes aware of Soul's arm wrapped tight around her, holding her up. "You okay?" he asks.

"Yeah." She takes slow and deep breaths as the light fades from her eyes and dares to open them. An iron gray peak looms in front of her, the sky beyond it varying hues of blue and purple. The plains they stand in are covered with golden-orange grasses that reach her knees. She relaxes her grasp on Blair, who growls with her fangs bared. "What is it?"

Soul nudges her shoulder. "Ahead of you."

Her mouth runs dry as she takes in the army of monsters standing in front of them. "That's-"

"Asura," Black Star says from behind them.

She gazes intently at the former Avatar before looking at two spirits standing next to him. From what she read in the Northern Water Tribe's library, she identifies them as Medusa and Arachne Gorgon, well-known spirits of chaos.

"There is no need to be alarmed." Arachne speaks. The elegant black dress she wears billows around her, resembling a spider web. "Neither Medusa or I will attack if you hand over the Avatar now." She gestures to the portal behind their army, a glowing sphere of light. "And you will be free to go."

The group closes ranks in response.

"Arachne, ever the lady in these situations," Medusa says sweetly. She stands in contrast with her sister, all sharp angles, shrewd eyes and a smile that stretches too widely. "However, sometimes things can't be handled with words alone." She snaps her fingers and a bellow like thunder rings out from the mountain.

A dragon spirit sweeps down from the peak, nothing more than a blur. The ground trembles as it touches down with an ear-splitting roar. Maka gapes at the dragon's size, at least forty feet long. Its tail are studded with deadly spikes and whips back and forth, pitch black scales shining dully in the light.

But what terrifies her is the frenzied look in the dragon's face, eyes pulsating from a vivid pink to black and back again.

"Crona here has just decided to take up a proper dragon's diet," Medusa says. "And they are very hungry."

"Quite the flair for theatrics," an unfamiliar voice comments. Both groups' attention shift to the eastern side of the plains where a large group of spirits stands at the edge, a spirit with glasses leading them.

"Azusa, I was wondering when you would show up." Medusa smiles, exchanging a look with Arachne. "You really shouldn't have." The tattoos on her body ripple like the snakes behind her. She thrusts her hands outward and the arrows fly like bolts of lightning.

Azusa steps to the side, neatly dodging the arrow Medusa hurls at her. She produces two blades that pulsate with a strange light. "Is that truly the best you can do?"

The spirit smirks. "Oh, I can do much better than that."

Crona's growl pulls Maka's attention from the burgeoning fight. Both the spiders and snakes surge forth in a wave and Crona flies up into the sky, circling the plains. "They're coming!"

The spirits from Azusa's group rush to meet the approaching creatures. Black Star is the first of their group to join them, running into the fight with a battle cry. Tsubaki follows him, unleashing her chain scythes while Shadow burrows underground and Beelzebub hovers above the ground. Kid, however, hurtles not to the hordes of snakes and spiders but to Asura. Liz and Patti start to follow him but he throws up a hand to wave them off. "No, this is my fight!"

"A little help over here would be nice," Tsubaki calls, swinging her scythes as four snakes attack her.

Patti looks at her sister, hesitating; Liz takes a deep breath before hopping onto Beelzebub, grabbing his reins. "Come on, sis."

Beside Maka, Soul takes Oni from his perch on his shoulder and puts him on Blair. "Take care of him, okay?"

Blair looks at Maka anxiously, who nods. "Go on. Be careful." The polar lion hesitates for a moment before bounding away. She watches them go before moving toward the fray.

"Wait." Soul touches her arm. He starts to speak but then stops, pulling back his hand. "We watch each other's back, okay?"

"Of course," she replies, surprised. "How else would it be?"

They stay close as they move forward; Maka lifts her hands up in a pulling motion, the grasses underneath her dying as the water in them floats in the air. She re-shapes the water into her scythe, its cold dulled by her gloves.

The battlefield ahead of them is obscured by a peculiar vapor the snakes let off-it refuses to dissipate even with Liz, Patti and Beelzebub blasting waves of air at it in unison. Unlike her sister, Arachne stays out of the battle, watching from the sidelines with a pleased smile on her face.

Maka loses sight of them as she and Soul enter the vapor. It makes her eyes water as she watches on the right, swiping at anything that moves in the grasses, while Soul lashes out on the left with small whips of fire. Her eyes widen as a snake takes her by surprise, lunging at her with an angry hiss. The blade of her scythe embeds itself in its open mouth, its arrow-shaped tongue inches from her face before it goes limp. She pulls her scythe free with a grunt. "These things are creepy."

"And gross," Soul says as he sets fire to a spider, the bodies of the beasts scattered on the ground. "There's guts everywhere."

"That's the least of your problems," a spirit wearing boxing gloves calls out, sending several spiders flying with rays of lightning. "Watch out for the spiderwebs, they're acidic!"

"Perfect." Soul sends a fireball at a few spiderwebs that come flying their way.

"Keep focused," Maka says through gritted teeth as she disposes of two more snakes, her scythe whipping back and forth. She has to be careful now that they're in the thick of the battle, just as likely to hit one of the snakes or spiders as she is to hit one of their spirit allies.

Soul rubs his arms after they work their way through a huge knot of snakes and spiders. "If these snakes were poisonous, I'd be dead already." They're peppered with puncture wounds. "How are you holding up?"

"Still alive," she replies. Maka inhales deeply, scythe resting at her side. Sweat drips down her back and face; her arms and neck burn from where stray webs struck her and she can feel blood sliding down her arm where a snake got a hold of her. The only good news is that vapor seems to finally be clearing up as more of the snakes are killed. S

She looks around, finally able to get a good look of how everyone else is faring. She's relieved to see the number of spiders and snakes dwindling. On the far side of the battleground fights the spirits, Black Star, Tsubaki and Shadow against the surviving creatures; Patti and Liz fight from the air on Beelzebub, coming to the aid of struggling spirits while Azusa and Medusa are still locked in their fight.

Neither Asura and Kid are nowhere to be seen.

"Is that it?" Black Star yells as he kills the last spider in his area with a column of earth, sounding almost crestfallen. "I was expecting better."

"What have you done?" Arachne's voice is barely a whisper but it carries across to Maka and the others. Her hands dangle at her sides as she surveys the trodden bodies of the spiders before her. "What have you done to my children?" Her dress undulates and the tendrils of it elongate to look like spider legs and she turns. "You will die for this."

Black webs shoot out from them, catching a few unlucky spirits. The web wrap around Maka's ankles before she can move. She cuts at them but the blade of her scythe sticks to the web, yanking it out of her grip. She lets out a yelp as she trips forward, Soul's hand steadying her before she falls.

"Here!" Red-orange fire glows blue as it melts away the webs. Together they retreat from the encroaching webs, Soul keeping them at bay with a fire whip.

"Hold on!" To their left, Black Star carves the patch of ground he and a few others are standing on, pulling his arms up to yank the earth into the air. "The only one dying here today is you," he hollers, propelling the ground forward; the earth shoots at a dangerous speed to Arachne but the spirit blocks with a giant web, forcing Black Star and the others to jump off at the last second.

"Crona!"

At Medusa's voice, Maka's eyes snaps to the sky. She watches in horror as the dragon climbs higher in the sky and turns around, pausing mid-air. "Out of the way," she says as Crona launches their body at the ground. She grabs Soul's hand. "Move!"

The dragons slams into the earth with a resounding boom. Maka lets out a cry as the resulting shockwave sends her flying, feeling Soul's hand get ripped from hers as she sails through the air.

She lands hard on the ground face down, stars exploding in her vision; darkness threatens to pull her into unconsciousness but she balls her hands into fists, sucking in a breath and rolling over on her back before she can think about it. Tears prick at her eyes as she forces them open.

The world, however, stays dark. Panic springs in Maka's chest before she spies two eyes, vivid pink, staring at her. She freezes as she tries to sit up, Crona regarding her with curiosity. They are looking not quite at her but at something just beside her head, the wild look in their eyes dimming. Slowly, she feels beside her, coming up with nothing but her ponytail.

She licks her lips. "You like my hair?"

Crona flinches when she talks, almost as if they is afraid of her.

Maka sits up, speaking soothingly. "You're not bad, are you?" she says, gaze sliding to the scars on their forelimbs. "You're not bad at all." She pushes herself to her feet, rising in starts and stops.

The dragon lets out a low whimper.

"That's right," she says, easing forward. "You're just scared, aren't you?" She places a hand on one of Crona's claws. They draw back instantly, roaring as if she had burned them.

She backpedals as fast as she can; when the dragon looks at her again, their eyes are black.

"Maka!" Soul diverts the jetstream of dark fire Crona exhales. He grunts in pain when one of the flames grazes his hands but doesn't pull away. "Go!"

"But you-"

"Just go!"

She does run but only to find grasses that weren't burned by Crona, bending out the water to make another scythe. She sprints back to see Soul bending a blast of fire at Crona, succeeding in halting the dragon's firebreath. He sprints away and veers to her when he spots her. "I told you to run!"

"And we promised to look out for each other," she yells back, hearing Crona's footsteps crashing behind them as the dragon comes after them. She feels a stitch prick in her side as they run-they're nearly at the edge of the plains, far enough that none of the other fighting reaches them.

They turn back at the same time, Soul spraying fire at Crona while she hurls ice shards at Crona's neck. Both do nothing to stop Crona, instead making the dragon even more enraged. As they open their mouth to breathe fire again, an idea comes to her. "What are you doing?" Soul cries out as Maka makes a sharp turnabout, dodging Crona's flames.

"If I could get enough ice down Crona's throat, it should be enough to put out their internal flame," she calls, flinging out her arms and reaching as far she could with her bending. Water flies to her and encompasses her body. She pauses outside of the range of Crona's flame, waiting for the dragon to stop rampaging.

Soul plants himself in front of her. "You can't," he says firmly, "You'll get burned to a crisp."

"It's not like we have any other options." Maka doesn't back away, pushing her face close to his. "Are you with me or not?"

He matches her glare with narrowed eyes before he relents. "Why do you ask?" he sighs. "You know I am."

"Good," she says as Crona's flame begins to taper off. Maka waves her scythe at the dragon. "Over here!" Crona spots her instantly, making a beeline for the two. As they open their mouth wide, Maka throws one arm forward, water solidifying into ice as it reaches the dragon's mouth. Crona lets out a scream of pain as they swallow the ice, tail thrashing back and forth.

"Cover me!" Maka dashes to the other side of them while Soul shoots spurts of flame at Crona's eyes, distracting them as she repositions herself. "Now!" she calls.

Letting the fire die, Soul sprints to Maka as Crona shakes their head vigorously. They catch sight of Maka again, bellowing loudly. However, instead of breathing fire, the dragon swings their tail at her, razor sharp spikes whistling through the air. She blocks with a water shield just in time, deflecting the brunt of the blow and slamming her scythe in the ground to propel herself away from Crona. "Soul?" she yells.

"Here!" His voice comes from somewhere on the other side of Crona. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she shouts. Maka looks into Crona's furious eyes. "For now."

The dragon continues to attack with their tail, clearly having learned better from Maka's previous attack. Her arms shake as she parries blow after blow with her shield. She can hear Soul trying to lure Crona away from her but the dragon refuses to be distracted. She lands on her feet after dodging a particularly close encounter with the spikes, pausing for breath just a second too long. Crona's tail shatters not only her shield but her scythe as well, the pieces evaporating into the air.

Maka staggers back in a daze. No water at hand and head ringing, all she can do is watch as Crona's tail swings toward her.

Something crashes into her with the force of a mountain, knocking her out of the way.

She doesn't make any attempt to get up from where she lands on the ground, unwilling for Crona's eyes to be the last thing she sees as they finish her off. But as the moments tick by and Maka still hasn't died, she raises her head. The dragon is only feet away from her but they ignore her, whining mournfully and pawing at their tail, which is shiny with something slick and red.

She looks down at herself, breaths turning rapid and shallow as she finds no blood on herself. "Soul," she calls, pushing herself to her feet. She stumbles as she spins around. A prone figure lies on the ground. Her heart leaps into her throat. "Soul!"

It feels like it takes an eternity for Maka to reach him. She falls to her knees and rolls him over, a tiny moan escaping from her when she sees the cut slicing open his chest. Where she finds the water from, she doesn't know but what she does know is that despite her healing, despite the wound sealing up, Soul doesn't move. She keeps working, paying no mind to his lifeless eyes, and doesn't stop even when she runs out of water, pressing her hands against his chest as if she can force him back to life.

"Why?" She runs her bloodstained gloves through her hair, tears streaming down her face as she pulls him close to her. "Why?" She is uncaring as she feels a shadow looming over and she waits for Crona's tail to descend upon her.

The shadow speaks. "Maka."

She lifts her head. A wizened spirit stands in front of her, Crona nowhere to be seen. All of its features are swallowed up by the black robe and cloak it wears, held together by silver pins. It adjusts the white pointed hat on its head. She hunches over Soul protectively, glaring at the spirit. "How do you know who I am?"

The spirit doesn't answer, instead saying, "Push and...pull. Life and death..." The spirit talks in a gravelly voice as if speaking physically drained them. "Neither can exist...without the other...understand?"

Maka blinks, breath catching in her throat. Then she nods slowly.

The spirit raises its hands and they begin to glow. "Do you know what you have to give up to save a life?"

Maka looks to Soul and then at her hands. "Yes."

"Are you willing to do that?"

She pulls off Soul's gloves and drops them on his hands, the only thing she can offer him. Maka looks at his face one last time.

"Yes."

* * *

"Did I get her?" Black Star asks as he wipes of the last of the webs from his eyes. The burns on his face sting badly but he can still see, having shut his eyes just before the spider silk had hit him in the face.

"Yes," Tsubaki replies as the boulder Arachne was buried under begins to disintegrate. "But I don't think that matters."

"Geez, how many lives does she have?" Liz complains from where she and Patti bend on Beelzebub's back. "She's a spider spirit, not a cat."

A roar from the dragon interrupts what Black Star was about to answer.

"That doesn't sound good," Patti says worriedly. Liz reaches for Beelzebub's reins. "We're going to check what's going on."

She and Patti fly off as the rest of the boulder crumbles. Amazingly, not a hair is out of place as Arachne emerges, only breathing slightly heavier than before. A web from her dress pushes her away from the blast. "I must say," she comments, having regained her composure. "I expected better from you." She addresses Tsubaki. "Especially you. Your brother had such a splendidly depraved soul." She smiles. "Such a lovely scent of madness around him. I would have thought you would have taken after him." Her mouth opens in the daintiest of yawns. "But you're boring."

"He-"

Tsubaki stops Black Star. Her grip on her scythes are loose but she doesn't move away as more webs creep in her direction. "I can handle this." Her voice is steely and holds no room for argument.

Black Star heeds her words, falling back.

However, when the webs reach her boots and she still hasn't moved, he gets nervous and begins to move forward. A swords pops in front of him. "Hold back, kid."

He looks up angrily but he stops when he recognizes the long-haired spirit. "I know you!"

"Mifune, warrior spirit," the spirit introduces himself. "You were the first human to visit my shrine in a long time." He gestures around himself. "Other than this, our sparring match was the best fighting practice I had in ages."

He smirks before realizing it's become too quiet. He glances about himself. Medusa has vanished and Azusa is doubled over, supported up by a spirit. Asura nor Kid are visible on the plains. "Where did everyone go?"

"Crona left once they saw Mabaa and Medusa followed," the spirit answers. "This battle is coming to an end."

He is sidetracked by Tsubaki's cry as one of Arachne's webs catches her in the chest and she lands hard on the ground, unmoving. "Tsubaki!" He lurches forward only to be stopped by Mifune again.

"Not yet."

He glares at Mifune, ready to attack him with one of his swords. "Then when?"

"Just watch."

"I." Tsubaki's voice is weak but steady. She gets to her feet, facing down Arachne. Her eyes burn indigo. "I am not my brother."

Her scythes become a blur in her hands as she charges at Arachne. She doesn't attempt to dodge Arachne's webs, not even cringing in pain as her skin erupts in blisters. She thrusts one of her blades forward and it sinks into Arachne's chest. "I am Tsubaki," she says, ripping the scythe out.

Arachne doesn't fall or waver. She merely looks at the hole in her chest and coughs, blood bubbling from her lips. "Well played," she whispers. She lifts her head, eyes gleaming. "But not good enough." Her dress envelopes her and her body divides into hundreds of tiny spiders; they retreat into the grasses of the plains.

"No." Tsubaki's shoulders sag, scythes slipping from her fingers. "I thought I killed her."

"You did better than I could have." Black Star moves toward her, arms outstretched. "You're a true warrior." Her eyes well up and she embraces him.

"Er, is that your friend?" Mifune asks.

Both Black Star and Tsubaki crane their head at the same time, watching as Beelzebub touches down in front of them. One of the spirits, Kirikou, carries from the air bison's back an unconscious Soul on his back, Liz and Patti trailing behind him. Soul's clothes are covered in blood. His shirt has a large gash but there is no wound on his chest, only his chain markings and an almost imperceptible scar that runs from his shoulder to his hip.

"What happened?" Black Star exclaims, rushing to help Kirikou.

Liz shakes her head. "Later."

Tsubaki peers around the four. "Where's Maka?"

"Later," Patti repeats.

Together, he and Kirikou sets down Soul gently. "He's unconscious but his heartbeat is strong."

Black Star speaks to the sisters. "I want to know what happened now."

* * *

Soul wakes up to the sound of someone calling his name. His eyes flicker open just enough for him to spy blonde hair. "Maka?"

"No," the voice replies. "Liz."

He frowns. "Where is she?"

A new voice, Patti, chimes in. "What do you remember?"

Other faces come into focus as Soul's thoughts move sluggishly. He sees Black Star and Tsubaki; it might be his mind playing tricks but he can swear he sees tears on their face. "The dragon. It was gonna hit Maka." His hands curl. "Is she okay?"

"And then?" Liz says.

He tries to remember. "I pushed her out of the way." His head throbs and he can feel himself losing consciousness again; he cranes his head to the right and left, struggling against the darkness pulling him away. "Where is she?"

"Rest," Tsubaki says. "We're going home."

Soul's protest dies on his lips as the darkness settles back over his eyes.

* * *

The firebombs the golems are equipped with are a new feature, a fascinating one in any other circumstance. But it's not one Stein is pleased to have lobbed at him every five seconds. Nor is the fact that the golems throw them without care in the middle of the forest, setting fire to it in at least three different places. He squints through the smoke, mildly irritated by the cracks in the lenses of his glasses.

It splits the wailing spirit rushing at him in half but he dispatches of it easily, always having been more reliant on his hearing than his sight. He scours his area of the forest before he relaxes his hold on his scythe, satisfied that he hears no more spirits. He glances at the golem rampaging not too far from him-against them, he's only a little less than useless, lightning being the only thing that can overpower their circuitry. However, this golem's behavior is strange-it's uprooting trees for some reason.

A flash of pink hair catches Stein's eyes. He spots Kim and Jackie standing in trees across from each other. They mirror each other, one arm extended out with their first two fingers pointing at the other. He watches how the air between the two crackles with pent-up energy, sparks flying. At some unspoken signal, they point at the golem and release the lightning in a blazing flash of light.

The skull the golem has for a face can't move but as it falls to the ground with a crash, it almost looks surprised.

Kim and Jackie drop down from the trees. "Right on the money," Kim crows.

Stein coughs. "Well done."

The girls jump, Jackie spotting him first. "Commander Stein, I didn't know you were fighting over here."

"I'd prefer if you called me doctor, actually," he says.

Jackie blinks. "I didn't know you were a doctor."

"Not that kind," he replies. "Usually."

"Stein!" Marie appears in front of them, sporting a large gash on her collarbone. "They've left."

"Who?" Stein asks, pulling her closer to examine her cut.

"Everyone, the spirits, the golems and Mosquito," she says. She protests when he puts down his scythe and pulls out the needle and thread he always keeps on hand. "It's not that serious."

"It will be if it gets infected," Stein says. He holds out the needle to Jackie. "Sterilize this."

Marie winces as Stein stitches her up but goes on with her report. "And apparently, the golems can handle water because they just started rolling into the river."

"And Giriko?" He pulls out a pair of scissors and snips the thread as he finishes.

"Promised he wasn't done and vanished." She shrugs. "I think we've won on our end here." She frowns worriedly. "But I'm worried about the chains."

"Please let it be over," Joe says as he and a few other soldiers come out from behind a stand of trees, looking even more disheveled and beat up than Marie. "I am tired of this spiritforsaken forest."

"Joe!" Marie stands up to embrace him. "Where have you been?"

"And what have you been up to?" Stein asks. "It's been nearly an hour now."

Joe glowers at him in mock irritation. "You make it sound like we went for a walk," he says. "That Mosquito spirit surprised us, split us up, left and then came back looking like a nose with a ball for a body." He clenches his hands. "It used its nose to suck out the blood of most of my scouts."

"Sounds gruesome," Stein says. "How did you get away?"

"We didn't, he left on his own."

"When?" Stein asks, suddenly gazing up at the sky. The sun is just past its peak and the light coming from the portal is no longer visible.

"About fifteen minutes ago," answers Joe. "Why?"

"Because we've just won or lost," Stein says. "Come on."

* * *

Kid should have known something was wrong the moment he stood face to face with Asura alone for the first time. There was something unsettling about him, as if he was only being held together by his scarves.

Asura had tilted his head to one side and had said, "So you're the one in the way?"

"You cannot cross back to our world," he had said firmly. "I won't let you."

"Those are big words for a defective Avatar," Asura had replied, raising his hands challengingly. "Whatever the others say about me, there was no questioning I was worthy of an Avatar's power."

Kid had dived into the fight without another word.

But it was wrong.

He fights to catch his breath. Asura doesn't fight like he expects. In fact, he hasn't fought at all. Every move Kid had hurled Asura's way, he had dodged or re-directed. All around them, the other chains and the spirits were fighting tooth and nail but Asura had hardly lifted a finger. He points at him, anger bubbling up in his voice. "Why aren't you fighting harder?"

"I was waiting until you were finished playing around." Asura smirks. "But if you're asking for a fight..." He moves faster than he would have thought possible, hand wrapped around his throat in seconds. "Isn't it obvious?" His fingers tighten around Kid's throat. "For all the power you have, you're too afraid to use it. It's pathetic."

He tosses Kid away to the ground. "You're too broken to even harness it."

Kid pushes himself up and hurtles a fire punch at him. "You're wrong!"

Asura laughs. "No, you're the one who's wrong." He shoves his face at Kid's, his fingers wrapping around Kid's forearm. "You're the one who shouldn't have even existed in the first place, have you ever thought about that?" He pushes him away.

Kid stumbles back, just barely keeping his balance. "No."

"Yes," he says, stalking forward and sending Kid flying with a kick to his chest. "You've always known," he says as he lands on his back and gasps for breath. "But you thought you could deny it."

Kid pushes his hands upward, water from the grasses turning into daggers of ice.

Asura bats them away. "You thought if you worked hard enough, proved yourself, that you change the world. But you can't." He places a foot on him. "Do you want to how I know?"

"Because I can read you." He bends down and taps his temple. "As soon as you came here, I felt our connection." He lowers his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "You know what else I saw?"

He places a finger on Kid's head, eyes glowing red. "You are an out of order Avatar. And now I will reclaim my place."

Kid is paralyzed, a feeling far worse than when he crossed over attempting to swallow him whole. His hands grasp uselessly in the air. Instead of feeling his soul ripped from his body, it feels like he is being erased bit by bit.

Asura's voice whispers in his mind. _Why are you fighting the truth?_

"It's not true," he wheezes.

_It is. You're an aberration._

"No," he insists, gasping. "I'm the Avatar."

_You were never meant to be._

He can feel himself losing control, a new being taking over his body. "That doesn't matter."

_Then do it. Fight me off._

Kid tries. He flails and kicks but as Asura gains control of his body, his limbs stop moving.

_You tried._

It's his own voice talking to Kid now. He feels like an invader in his own body. "But trying isn't good enough."

Something snaps. It was true. Kid gazes up above him as his world begins to fade to black. The clouds were a jumble of messy shapes. _No matter what he did, he was never good enough. _There was something hideously out of sync in him.

Distantly, he thinks looks up at the pristine sky, clouds rolling forth to stain the azure blue grey and black. It's marred now, like the stripes in his hair. _Out of order,_ he thinks as he feels the last of his strength crumbles. Everything was out of order.

His eyes, almost shut, flick open.

Everything.

His fingers twitch. Everything was out of order. Just like him.

He stares up at Asura. Hadn't he seen it in his journey here? In every place, every living thing he'd met? The entire world was out of order. And against all odds, it existed. Just like him.

Asura laughs, pushing back against Kid's resurging resistance. "You're fighting a losing battle."

"Of course," Kid says slowly. "Things are always going to be out of order."

"They never have been in order in the first place." He lifts his hand, the arrow on his arm glowing white. "But that doesn't mean I can't bring them into balance." He presses his hand to Asura's forehead.

Asura's eyes glow with a different light, Kid's light. "Balance doesn't create order," he continues, feeling the power and knowledge of the past Avatars sweep through him. Of Asura.

His other arm strikes the ground and a pillar erupts from the earth. Asura flies backward but immediately gets to his feet.

Kid flicks his wrists. Jets of water come up from the grasses and attach themselves to Asura, rooting him in place. "Balance keeps the right amount of order and disorder in the world."

He moves quickly, embedding earth around Asura's hands and feet. Kid swings his arms in circles and gusts of wind gather up Asura. He pushes the wind carrying Asura to the portal. "You are too much disorder."

Kid tips him into the portal.

It glows red as Asura screams. His body peels away in the light of the portal, turning into dust.

* * *

Kid rubs his head tiredly as the portal disappears in front of him and the glow of his arm tattoos fades, just seconds after their group crosses back to Earth. He leans on Beelzebub. After he defeated Asura, the Avatar state had taken over; he still wasn't sure if what he had done during it had been a wise idea but he couldn't take it back now.

His hold on Beelzebub tightens. All he longs for now is to sleep.

He fights his exhaustion, however, picking up on the miserable mood among the others. They're huddled around Soul, who sits on the ground. He looks dazed, holding Oni in his arms while Blair lies at his feet with her face buried in her paws. Kid speaks to Black Star. "What happened?"

He doesn't answer, shaking his head and wiping angrily at his eyes.

"Where's Maka?" Soul asks. His words are slightly slurred. "Why are you all looking at me? What's going on?"

Liz kneels, speaking softly. "When you guarded for Maka," she begins gently. Her shoulders shake. "What you remember as fainting was you dying. Crona killed you."

"No," he says with a humorless laugh. "That's impossible. How could I be here then?"

"Look at your chest," Liz snaps. "I saw it happen. There was no way you could have survived a wound like that."

Soul blinks, tracing the scar. "I don't understand."

Liz's voice trembles and she tries to place a hand on Soul's shoulder that he promptly shrugs off. "I got attacked when Patti and I were running to you so I don't what Maka did-"

"Stop-"

"But she traded her life for yours. There was not-"

"No!" Soul's breath comes out in a roar of flame. He lurches to his feet. "Then where is her body?"

"Someone took her." Liz raises her hands helplessly. "They did something to us so we couldn't move."

Soul's entire body is shaking. "I saw her, when we were leaving. I saw her."

"You were unconscious."

Soul opens his mouth but then he looks down at Oni. He shuts it, legs shaking. "I won't believe it till I see her."

Liz looks at Kid. "Can we go back?"

Kid's mind spins. "The solstice is over. Even if it wasn't, we don't have enough chains to make a portal."

"Somehow else then," Soul demands.

"No." Kid shakes his head. "I can't."

"Of course you can," Soul says, voice rising. "You're saying you won't."

"No, I _can't_." Kid sucks in a breath. "When I was in the Avatar state, I sealed every portal on the spirit world's side before we came back, to keep out Medusa and Arachne. I don't know how I can reverse it. Or if I can."

A horrified silence descends upon the group.

"What's going on here?" Stein's voice comes from behind him. His soldiers stand behind him, looking like they've battled through an inferno.

Kid nor anyone else can answer him.


	13. Chapter 13

10,203 A.A.-Winter Solstice

* * *

Mabaa takes care of her. At least, that's what the other voices call the person that tends to her wound. In the times when she's lucid, the pain in her chest pounds away at her, leaving her body feeling as if it's been ironed out by the pounding waves of the ocean. When the pain recedes, she feels pristine and whole.

Her memories are not pristine.

They are filled with ashes and blood. A different kind of pain that sucks the air from her lungs. She pushes those away and sinks gratefully back into oblivion. Then there are other memories that aren't terrible but hurt all the same. A cat with fangs the size of dinner plates. The feeling of being one with the push and pull of the ocean. Friends that make her smile. A boy with white hair, a dragon curled up around his neck.

Her heart constricts when she sees him.

There are more memories but those slip through her hands like water; these memories stick with her and she doesn't know why-she can't even remember their names. She doesn't remember her own name either. But when she finally opens her eyes, Mabaa calls her Maka and she supposes that's her name.

Mabaa informs her that Maka is a spirit like them, newly transformed. She doesn't answer when she asks how she came to be like this nor when she asks about the scar cutting across Maka's chest. She doesn't pursue the subject, visions of monstrous snakes and spiders accompanied by an earth-shaking roar stilling her tongue. It takes several weeks for her to gain back enough strength to leave her bed and even longer for her to venture out of the caves Mabaa and the other spirits live in.

They treat her kindly enough and once she's fully recovered, she tries to enjoy her new life. But it's the memories dancing on the edge of her mind that hold her back. They refuse to go away and haunt her dreams, leaving her with the nagging feeling she's left something precious behind, and they give her no rest, rising up every time she looks into the river near her home and spies the jagged edges of the scar peeking out from the white dress Mabaa gave her.

The frustration stretches and stretches until one day she feels if she stays any longer, she would scream herself into nothingness.

Mabaa lets her go with extreme reluctance, extracting from her a promise to return. Maka roams the land aimlessly. She tells herself she isn't searching for anything but everywhere she goes, she finds herself keeping an eye out for the fanged cat or the boy with the dragon.

It vexes her the longer she travels and the longing in her soul doesn't fade away but rather increases in intensity, as if she's being pulled to something she can never reach.

She breaks a month after Maka left the spirits. It happens as she's crossing a field of golden grasses, a mountain in the distance. A feeling that she knows this place gnaws at her.

Maka yells out when she comes across a patch of the plains scorched black, the scar on her chest suddenly burning as if it was on fire. She doubles over and falls on her side.

The only thing she feels is the pain, the pain is the only thing she is. For a long time, she can do nothing but breathe.

She lets herself go limp when the burning sensation finally begins to ebb. In pieces, she becomes aware of the other things: her face pressed against the ground, the smell of burned earth, the tears running down her face.

And the sound of purring. A vivid image of the cat and the boy enters her mind. They sit on a boulder by a river, which bends to flow into the ocean.

She recognizes the stripes running through the cat's fur. _She had the same ones,_ she thinks, a distant memory of glimmering marks on her arms returning to her. "Blair," she murmurs. "Blair."

Her words shatter the vision into pieces and she's back to staring at the burned plains.

Maka pulls herself into a sitting position. She should be angry or disappointed but a contentedness settles over her. She holds on resolutely to the picture of the Blair and the boy in her mind, focusing on the quiet smile on the boy's face.

"I will find you."

* * *

Black Star waits for Tsubaki outside her home, leaning comfortably on Shadow. People greet him cheerfully as they pass by while a few brave children even dare to pet the badgermole. He hides his grin. Even now, the change in people's reaction to him still amuses him.

Stein is mostly to thank for that-his connections with the World Council had ensured that the news of what happened on Ember Island had reached all ends of the earth. As soon as the news went global, Kid was summoned to Republic City, boosted from pariah to beloved in the blink of an eye. The World Council had paraded him around the city like a mascot for the past six months.

He'd kept in touch with Black Star and Tsubaki through letters and invited the two of them to join him on his upcoming diplomatic trip across the four nations. It was an offer both of them had eagerly accepted.

But even as Black Star had looked forward to the trip, a dark cloud had hung over his head. His nails dig in his skin as he tries and fails to not to think of Maka. Even before Tsubaki, she had been his friend, the first person see him as a person and not for what his family had been. He glares at the ground, eyes prickling. It had been bad enough when they'd thought she was dead but he's not sure what to think with Soul's resolute insistence that she wasn't dead, that he had seen her. If he believed Soul, only for Kid to find a way to open the portals again and prove them wrong...

He swallows hard. Either way, it had been the worst when he, Tsubaki and Soul delivered the news to Spirit. The way Spirit had crumpled in himself, looking completely shattered, had dug up all the pain he had buried since the summer solstice.

The only person who had been equally painful to see was Soul.

"You're early!" Tsubaki opens the gate to her home, holding a bag.

He shrugs, taking her bag. "Didn't want to keep you waiting."

She tilts her head to one side as they head out of town and to the base of Mifune's mountain, where Kid wrote to meet him. "Are you all right?"

"It's nothing." He swallows hard as they enter the shadow of Mifune's mountain. "Just remembering."

Tsubaki stops walking abruptly and seizes his hand, pulling him into a hug; he stiffens before returning the hug. She hums softly in his ear and through his struggle to keep the tears from coming, he recognizes the tune as the mourning song of the Earth Kingdom. He closes his eyes and rests his head against her shoulder, allowing the tears to fall.

When Tsubaki's humming comes to an end, he holds onto her for a few more moments. The pain is still there but the warmth of her embrace has made it easier to breathe.

Black Star looks up. Even in the shadows, Tsubaki's face is radiant.

He wipes his eyes. "Thank you."

She smiles. "I'm always here."

A shout comes from above. "Hey!"

Patti waves enthusiastically at the three from atop Beelzebub. Shadow darts forward to greet the air bison as he lands, tail moving excitedly. Liz and Patti descend first, jumping from the saddle. Patti crushes Black Star in a hug before releasing him. "It's been ages!"

"How was Republic City?" Tsubaki asks Liz.

"Divine." A dreamy look comes across Liz's face. "The hotel we stayed at had everything I could have wanted and more. And the shops have all the latest fashions."

"And the zoo, sis," Patti exclaims, outstretching her arms. "Kid finally got to see giraffes!"

"Which were every bit as strange as you described them," he says as he lands next to the sisters. His hair is still growing back from when he shaved it to receive his head tattoo. He exudes a more confident air now.

"You decided to keep the hair?"

"As a reminder," Kid answers. "This trip isn't going to be all fun and games." His face falls as he looks from Black Star to Tsubaki. "I thought Soul was with you."

"We don't know where he is," she says. "He stayed in town with us for a while after we came back from the South Pole but he just left without telling us one day."

Kid frowns. "He didn't go back to the North Pole. I sent a letter there and his brother was the one who answered."

A knot of worry forms in Black Star's chest. He should have gone after Soul the moment he found out he disappeared from Tsubaki's home.

"We shouldn't look for him."

He stares in surprise at Liz.

"I know what it's like to run off and not want to be found." Liz shifts from side to side, meeting no one's gaze. "Blair and Oni will take care of him. He'll come when he wants to." She glances at Kid. "In the meantime, what we should do is search for ways to open a portal."

* * *

Soul passes by Ember Island's temple before heading to the river. He's pleased to find it still in ruins. Blair yowls mournfully when they come to the Four Points and he scratches her head. "I know."

Above them, Oni flies silently. In the past three months, his baby scales had shed into crimson red ones and he's gone through a massive growth spurt, at least three heads taller than Soul. If he keeps it up, he'll soon be big enough to carry Soul and Blair.

The moonlight shines off the surface of the river, which Oni swoops down to lounge in. Soul clambers up on one of the boulders and Blair plants herself next to him, laying her face in his lap. He strokes her head and lets his feet dangle over the boulder's edge. It should be unbearable to even be here. But Soul's belief hasn't changed in the past six months and it guards him from the pain.

He had seen Maka back when they left the spirit world, after Crona. She had looked different than she usually did, dressed in a white gown, but he had recognized her. And no one was going to convince him otherwise of that. Soul feels the smooth scar on his chest, yawning.

Sleeping, always something he never looked forward to, was something he avoided even more now. In his dreams, his conviction crumbles and a different madness than the one Oni put him through threatens to swallow him whole. He lets himself fall onto his back and lets his eyes drift close. Maybe here, where the nightmare was in reality, the bad dreams would pass him over.

His sleep is dreamless for the most part. Except the end.

Soul only sees her for a split second. Maka sits in the plains where they faced off Asura; tear tracks stain her face and her dress is smudged with dirt but she's wearing a smile. She lifts her head and for a moment, it's like she sees him.

Soul wakes up, the sky a faint blue as dawn approaches. Blair purrs as he sits up and Oni stirs from the rock he settled himself on.

He sits up and watches the sun break over the horizon. "I will find you."

* * *

(10,204 A.A.-one month later, Fire Nation Capital)

It's midnight and Kid is still going over the last-minute requests for supplies for the next leg of their trip. He shakes his head at some of Black Star and Patti's more ridiculous requests when he hears a knock at his door. He yawns as he rises from his chair, expecting to see Liz or Patti.

He is speechless when he opens the door and there stands Soul, Oni and Blair at his side.

"Hi." Soul's fingers tap nervously against his sides. When Kid doesn't answer, he says, "I saw in the newspaper you were here. It wasn't hard to find you. I thought we could talk, if you don't mind."

Kid opens the door wider. "Of course not."


End file.
